''Lampropeltis triangulum andesiana'', commonly known as the Andean milksnake, is an alpine subspecies of

milk snake The milk snake or milksnake (''Lampropeltis triangulum''), is a species of kingsnake; 24 subspecies are currently recognized. ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'', the scarlet kingsnake, was formerly classified as a 25th subspecies (''L. t. elapsoides' ...

Description

These colorful snakes are covered in stripes of red, black, and yellow, often with black speckles on each scale. At up to long, this is one of the two largest subspecies of milk snake.

Geographic range

Milk snakes range throughout the Americas, from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

south to

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

. The Andean subspecies of milk snake occurs in the

Andes mountains The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

of Colombia and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

Habitat

Andean milksnakes inhabit high altitude forests and grasslands, up to in elevation.

Behavior

As mountain dwellers, Andean milk snakes can tolerate much lower temperatures than most snakes. They spend much of the time in burrows or under logs, where they are safe from predators and from cold weather. Milk snakes often come out of their dens in the afternoon or evening to hunt.

Life history

Females may lay up to four clutches of eggs per year, with 12 - 20 eggs per clutch. Hatchlings are 8 - 10 inches long, but reach an adult length of 38 to 70 inches. The captive lifespan can be more than 15 years.

Diet

Like all snakes, Andean milk snakes are

carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...

s. Young milk snakes mostly eat insects, while larger milk snakes eat small mammals, birds, eggs, amphibians, and other reptiles, including venomous snakes. Like most snakes, milk snakes only need to eat once every one or two weeks.

Coral snake mimics

Unlike most nonvenomous snakes, which are mottled gray and brown for camouflage, Andean milk snakes are brilliantly colored (although adults are often duller than juveniles, having an almost dusky appearance) in red, yellow, and black. The white and red scales are frequently clearly tipped with black. It has white scales on its snout with black sutures and often a large amount of white on the cheeks. It has 24 to 32 red rings which may be broken up with black in the mid-

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

section and the rings may not completely cross the

venter Venter or Venters is an Afrikaans (and rarely, Jewish) surname, and may refer to: Venter * AJ Venter (b. 1973), South African rugby union footballer * Al J Venter, author * André Venter (b. 1970), South African rugby union footballer * Ben Venter ...

. These bright colors are similar to those of the

coral snake Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera ('' Calliophis'', ''Hemibungarus ...

, a venomous

elapid Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydoc ...

(which includes cobras and

mamba Mambas are fast moving highly venomous snakes of the genus ''Dendroaspis'' (which literally means "tree asp") in the family Elapidae. Four extant species are recognised currently; three of those four species are essentially arboreal and green i ...

s) that lives in the same areas as the milk snakes. Andean milk snakes use this bright coloration to fool potential predators into believing that they are also venomous, and too risky to eat. There are several rhymes to help people remember the color difference between harmless milk snakes and the poisonous coral snake. Two rhymes that describe the stripe pattern of these snakes are: "Black 'round yellow, harmless fellow. Yellow 'round black, stay far back." "Red touches black, you're O.K. Jack. Red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow."

Conservation status

Not listed on

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

or th
IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species
Little is known about the wild population of Andean milk snakes, but they are thought to be common. These docile, colorful snakes are widely bred in captivity for the pet trade.