Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all... I found this little beauty in the street this afternoon, and I'm wondering if anybody knows what it is? Is it Native to Western South Dakota???

That's probably a pale milksnake. It's the only tri-color milksnake or kingsnake native to your area.
South Dakota Pale Milksnake Info

Yeah, I saw that page. The head doesn't match either of those photos. How much do they change as they grow? The one I found can't be more than a couple months old...

How long is he? Could be last years hatch. Cool!
Todd Hughes

He's MAYBE 10 inches long. About the same as this years baby garter snakes... but I've never seen a newborn milksnake, so I have no idea how old he would be.

Check his belly for the scar where the yolk sac was, it may still be evident if from this year.
Todd Hughes

More pics... better pics of the head... any more opinions?

I suggest you post these pics on the "snakes what kind?" forum. You'll get lots of opinions there. I'm still confident that it is a pale milksnake. Just as no two people look alike, neither do two pale milksnakes. Just because your snake does not exactly match the one in the photo you saw, it doesn't mean that it isnt a pale milksnake. Look at google images to see the unbelievable variation in ground color and pattern in these snakes. Juveniles, like yours, darken up considerably as they reach adulthood. It may also be an intergrade or cross between a pale milksnake and a red milksnake (which are found in eastern South Dakota). Unless you have someone's pet, which I doubt, it's definitely a pale milk. It is the only milk that lives in your area and the orangish/red speckling on the head is a dead give away.

Greg

I can see the resemblance now. He does look more like a red from the pics, but then he'd be about 150 miles from home...

Now the next question... do I keep him?

Do you want to? That is the question!!!
Todd Hughes