We were very, very sad to see this long, slender dead snake on our street however, it gave us the opportunity to learn more about the snakes in our neighborhood. We have here a beautiful Eastern Milksnake. Reading more, it appears to be one of two of the 14 species of snakes found in Massachusetts that is a constrictor, the other being the more rarely seen and declining Northern American Racer (a species listed as ‘of Special Concern’).
Fun facts – Milksnakes are generally nocturnal; they don’t bask in the sun and usually hide throughout the day. Milksnakes don’t actually squeeze their prey to death but suffocate it. Milksnakes will vibrate their tail when disturbed.
Don’t you love the patterning in the scales, both the checkerboard underside and the upper surface? Unfortunately, Milksnakes look similar to the venomous Eastern Copperhead, and they are often needlessly killed because of the resemblance.
How to tell the difference between the non-poisonous Milksnake and the Copperhead: They can be distinguished by a few basic characteristics. “The head of a Copperhead is copper-colored and never marked, while the Milksnake’s head has the light “V-” or “Y-shaped” mark.
Note the “Y” mark on the Milksnake’s head
The Copperhead has a wide triangle-shaped head joined to a narrow neck; the Milksnake’s head is narrow. The Copperhead has only one row of crossbands down its heavy body in contrast to the Milksnake’s 3 to 5 rows of blotches down a slender body. The Milksnake has smooth scales while the copperhead has keeled scales (raised ridge along the center of each scale).” From the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.