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Black milk snake

Subspecies of snake From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black milk snake
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Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae, commonly known as the black milk snake, is a non-venomous subspecies of milk snake. It is the largest known milk snake subspecies. Black milk snakes are found in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama.

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Black milk snake yearling under log.

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Description

Hatchling black milk snakes are between 12 and 16 inches in length. They are red, black, and white or yellow as hatchlings. When they are between 6 and 10 months of age, the black milk snakes undergo an ontogenetic colour change; Melanogenesis (production of the melanin pigments; often produced by cells called melanocytes) [1], which gives these snakes a darker shade as they grow to adulthood, and eventually turns them pure black once 2.5-3 years old, hence their name. Adult black milk snakes average between 48 and 76 inches (4 feet – 6 feet 4 inches), but some have been known to grow up to 7 feet in length.

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Geographic range

Black milk snakes are native to Costa Rica and Panama. They typically live in the wet, high mountain cloud forests at elevations between 5,000 and 7,400 feet in Costa Rica, and between 4,300–6,500 feet in Panama. Unlike many cloud forest dwelling snakes, Black milk snakes are semi-fossorial and primarily found hiding under logs and rocks, or buried 1-4 inches under the ground.

Diet

Black milk snakes are opportunistic hunters, but typically eat mice, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, reptile eggs, birds, and bird eggs in the wild.

Captivity

Black milk snakes can make excellent pets for many people. They are typically very hardy snakes in captivity. As hatchlings they will readily accept mice, and as adults may consume medium-sized rats. Since they dwell in high elevations in the wild, they do well with their temperatures between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. If they are kept at temperatures between 80 - 85 degrees, they metabolize their food much more quickly than other colubrids, and can become overweight very easily, along with becoming stressed. because these snakes are found in cloud forests, they prefer very high humidity (60-80%)

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Thermoregulation

Black milk snakes exhibit thermoconforming behavior, which means they allow their internal body temperature to fluctuate, even when environmental temperatures are below 75°F (24°C). While many other milk snake species use basking to maintain metabolic activity and digestion, black milk snakes thrive in stable, cool conditions found in cloud forests. [2]

References

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