Pueblan milk snake

Physical Description: 

The Pueblan milk snake is a slender-bodied snake with a striped pattern of black, yellow, black, and red (in that order). They can get up to 4 feet in length. 

Predators: Skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and birds of prey. 

Lifespan: unknown in the wild;  15-20 years under human care. 

Reproduction:

Pueblan milk snakes typically breed in the late spring and summer. Females will lay an average of 2-14 eggs, usually in rotting wood or beneath rocks and logs. Eggs hatch after 1-2 months and need no parental care. Each hatchling is only a few inches long when it leaves the egg. They are more brightly colored at birth than the adults, but their color fades as they mature. 

Fun Facts: 

• The common name, milk snake, originated from a belief that these snakes milked cows. This myth probably began when farmers sought some excuse for why a cow was producing less milk than usual. Since the snakes were drawn to the barns by mice, they became the perfect culprits. 
• The color bands on this snake are intended to mimic those of the venomous coral snake, scaring off potential predators.
• Milk snakes are a solitary species. They are rarely seen in the open during the day, but they can often be spotted crossing roads at night.
• Milk snakes are a type of king snake, which are a type of snake that can eat other snakes. Like other king snakes, they have some immunity to the venom of venomous snakes they consume.