The Eastern Milk Snake is species generally found in the eastern United States in areas north of South Carolina. It is possible that some pure Eastern Milk Snake populations exist in the Mountain region of SC. However, it is more probale that all specimens from the Mountains and immediately adjacent portions of the Piedmont region are intergrades with the Scarlet King Snake subspecies of milksnake. The Scarlet King Snake has a beautiful ringed pattern of red, black, and yellow. Adult Eastern Milk Snakes are usually more duller colored and have a blotched dorsal pattern. Intergrades usually produce a more colorful blotched pattern. Juvenile Eastern Milk Snakes usually have red blotches which darken and dull with growth.

The milk snake name resulted from the outlandish myth that these snake drink the milk of cows. This myth may have arise from dairy farmers finding these snakes in their barns. The snakes would be in the barn hunting mice.

July 07, 2009
Contact: South Carolina Reptiles and Amphibians