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If I had a full grown adult Mexican Black King and a Black Milksnake sitting in front of me, how could I tell which was which?

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MissHissssss

- The Black Milksnake would be significantly larger (6 feet vs. 4-5 feet).

- Milksnakes have a more tapered head (from top to bottom). This is a characteristic that takes some time to learn to recognize, but it is an easy way to distinguish milksnakes from other Lampropeltis.

- A Black King would have a head that is slightly wider than the neck. Black milks do not.

- If you touched them, the black milk would probably jerk a bit, while the kingsnake would just sit there. In the hand, black milks are more tense snakes (although they don't bite).

- the price tag would be different. An nice adult black king would probably be around $100, an adult milk would run 3-4X that much.
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Chris Harrison

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Please base this assumption on size/physical characteristics. The most docile snake I've ever "known" was a huge adult male black milk. I HAVE to get it's photos (from disposable camera) put on this site to appreciate the size of him, but no flinching whatsoever. He would literally crawl out into your hands. In size and temperment, you'd swear it was an indigo. I have his yearling daughter and can only hope she is as calm when grown.
But the size difference is a dead giveaway if you don't have one of either species so that you "know" the difference at a glance. Either makes a wonderful pet.

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