Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae
Encyclopedia
The Sinaloan milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae) is an egg
laying species
of non-venomous colubrid
snake
. It is one of the most commonly bred
milk snake
s in captivity. It is a fairly docile species and will rarely bite. If handled, it will discharge a pungent smelling exudate from the cloaca as a warning. The Sinaloan milk snake inhabits the rocky and semi-arid drylands
of southwest Sonora
, Sinaloa
, and southwest Chihuahua (Mexico
).
, Sinaloa
and southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico
. They are often found during the day resting beneath loose rocks, in rock crevices or beneath cactus plants. In areas close to urbanization, they are also found in barns and under piles of wood. Like other milk snakes, the Sinaloan milk snake is nocturnal and feeds after dark and at night. Milk Snakes are much more opportunistic eaters than the fox snake or corn snake
. They have been known to consume a variety of animal
s including rodents, eggs
, bird
s, reptile
s, amphibian
s, and invertebrate
s. Nevertheless the diet
of an adult milk snake still primarily consists of rodents.
s, and does have at least some immunity to their venom.
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
laying species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of non-venomous colubrid
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
. It is one of the most commonly bred
Captive breeding
Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
milk snake
Milk Snake
The milk snake or milksnake is a species of king snake. There are 25 subspecies among the milk snakes, including the commonly named scarlet kingsnake...
s in captivity. It is a fairly docile species and will rarely bite. If handled, it will discharge a pungent smelling exudate from the cloaca as a warning. The Sinaloan milk snake inhabits the rocky and semi-arid drylands
Drylands
Drylands is a Miles Franklin Award winning novel by Australian author Thea Astley. This novel shared the award with Benang by Kim Scott.-Awards:...
of southwest Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, and southwest Chihuahua (Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
).
Description
The Sinaloan milk snake is predominantly blood red with distinct rings or bands of black which have thinner cream-colored or yellowish bands within the black bands. The red rings are bordered near the edge of the ventrals by black pigment, leaving the center of the triad (on the ventral side) with a creamy white. The Sinaloan milk snake is easily distinguished from other subspecies because of the very broad bands of red which are wider than in most other subspecies (three times the width of the black bands). The head is black with a thin yellowish or cream-colored band just behind the eyes across the top of the head. The belly is yellowish or creamy white. Fully grown adults can reach a length of approx. 120 cm. or more in some cases. Like other milk snakes, the Sinaloan milk snake is very agile.Habitat
The Sinaloan milk snake inhabits the dry, arid and rocky semi-desert regions in southwest SonoraSonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
and southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. They are often found during the day resting beneath loose rocks, in rock crevices or beneath cactus plants. In areas close to urbanization, they are also found in barns and under piles of wood. Like other milk snakes, the Sinaloan milk snake is nocturnal and feeds after dark and at night. Milk Snakes are much more opportunistic eaters than the fox snake or corn snake
Corn Snake
The Corn Snake , or Red Rat Snake, is a North American species of Rat Snake that subdues its small prey by constriction. The name "Corn Snake" is a holdover from the days when southern farmers stored harvested ears of corn in a wood frame or log building called a crib...
. They have been known to consume a variety of animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s including rodents, eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
, bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s, and invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. Nevertheless the diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
of an adult milk snake still primarily consists of rodents.
Reproduction
The Sinaloan milk snake mates from early May to late June, sometimes twice a year. The brumation period is between November to February. The female lays an average of 5-15 elongated eggs beneath rotting wood, boards, rocks and rotting vegetation. The eggs hatch after about 60 days. Like other members of the king snake family, the Sinaloan milk snake sometimes eats other snakeSnake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, and does have at least some immunity to their venom.