129: Central Plains Milk Snake

The Central Plains Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis) is a species of Kingsnake – a genus of 45 subspecies who are known for their vibrant patterns and called “king” because they eat other snakes, similar to the King Cobra (the people who came up with these names were very invested in male-based hierarchical systems).

Milk snakes are mainly nocturnal and attempt to use their coloring to blend in with the ground. They live on the ground, but are capable of climbing and swimming. They do not have venom, but they will rattle their tails when threatened – they mimic the behavior and coloration of more dangerous snakes in order to protect themselves. Unfortunately for them, humans often kill them because they think they are their more dangerous cousins.

They eat a wide range of food (including other snakes), but adult milk snakes are most interested in rodents. In fact, milk snakes get their name from the legend that they crawl into barns and drink from cows’ udders, which is not true – they are not physically capable of doing so – but they do love to hang out in cool barns which often have abundant rodents.

This drawing is the longest I have ever spent on one of these drawings because I somehow got the idea to hand draw the scales. It was an interesting challenge though I don’t love how the shadows turned out. One loyal reader who got a preview said it reminded her of Beetlejuice.