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Photo by Alan D. St. John
Photo Copyright Alan D. St. John
Utah Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G5
State (S-rank): S3
- Reason: This species is uncommon in Utah and is threatened by collecting.
External links
General information
The milksnake, Lampropeltis triangulum, occurs throughout much of central and eastern North America, as well as in northern South America. In Utah, the species occurs only in the central and eastern portions of the state.
The milksnake eats small mammals, small birds, reptiles, and reptile eggs. Females of the species lay a clutch of two to fifteen eggs in mid-summer, and eggs hatch in about two months. The red, black, and white coloration of the milksnake is probably due to mimicry of the venomous coral snake. The coral snake, however, does not occur naturally in Utah. The milksnake is primarily nocturnal, and the species can be found in many types of habitat. The species is active from April to October, hibernating during the cold winter months.
Phenology
Active day or night; mostly nocturnal, especially in hot weather (see Collins 1982, Vogt 1981). May estivate during hot dry periods in some areas (Tennant 1984). Inactive during cold months (November-March in many areas) in north.
Species range
In Utah this species ranges from the southwestern part of the state north through the central high plateaus to the southern part of the Wasatch Mountains and east through the Uinta Mountains and the Uinta Basin (see Williams 1994, Cox and Tanner 1995). Woodbury (1931) summarized records from Iron, Sanpete, Utah, Tooele, Salt Lake, Davis, and Uintah counties. Tanner (1941) added records from Duchesne, Washington, Millard, and Carbon counties as well as additional records from Utah County. Tanner and Loomis (1957) reported specimens from two additional counties: Garfield and Juab. Tanner (1940) wrote: "From our records it appears that this species . . . has a state wide distribution." Tanner (1941) again opined: "The distribution of this species appears to be state wide, although much collecting must be done to varify [sic] this belief." However, Tanner later apparently abandoned his belief regarding statewide distribution of this species (see, for example, Tanner and Loomis 1957, Cox and Tanner 1995). Tannerand Loomis (1957) mapped the distribution of this species in Utah as including all of the area south and east of the Great Salt Lake (i.e., excluding the parts of Utah that border Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada). It should be noted that this hypothesized distribution included all of the Utah portion of the Colorado Plateau, an area largely excluded from the range of this species by other authors (e.g., Stebbins 1985, Williams 1994).
Migration
Migrates between hibernaculum and summer range in some areas (Vogt 1981, DeGraaf and Rudis 1983).
Habitat
A broad range of habitats are used, including open forests, mountain shrub assemblages, sagebrush-dominated habitats (Schwinn and Minden 1980, Cox and Tanner 1995 for summaries), often where the understory vegetation contains a well-developed grass component. Milksnakes may occasionally hibernate at multi-species, communal hibernacula (e.g., Woodbury and Hansen 1950). Individuals have also been found during winter months deep in sandy soil or gravel (Tanner 1941, Hardy 1939).
Food habits
Tanner (1941) reported that three specimens of this species collected in Utah "contained adult lizards, Sceloporus g. graciosus."
Ecology
Home range size estimated to be about 20 ha in Kansas study (see DeGraaf and Rudis 1983).
Reproductive characteristics
Lays clutch of 2-17 eggs, usually in June-July in U.S. Eggs hatch in about 6-9 weeks, August or September. Sexually mature in 3rd or 4th year in Kansas (see DeGraaf and Rudis 1983).
Threats or limiting factors
This species, because of its beauty, tameness, perceived rarity, and adaptability to captivity, is much sought by collectors, and collecting is the greatest threat to it in Utah.
References
- Biotics Database. 2005. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, NatureServe, and the network of Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centers.
- Stebbins, R. C. 1985. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 336 pp.
