milk snake

milk snake

n. Any of various subspecies of the king snake Lampropeltis triangulum, ranging from the eastern and central United States south to Ecuador and often having red, black, and yellow or white bands. Also called house snake, milk adder.

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[From the folk belief that the snakes (which are commonly seen around the barns where they hunt rodents) suck milk from cows.]

milk snake

n (Animals) a nonvenomous brown-and-grey North American colubrid snake Lampropeltis doliata, related to the king snakes

milk′ snake`

n. any of numerous, usu. brightly marked king snakes of the subspecies Lampropeltis triangulum (doliata), of North America. [1790–1800]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

milk snake - nonvenomous tan and brown king snake with an arrow-shaped occipital spot; southeastern ones have red stripes like coral snakescheckered adder, house snake, Lampropeltis triangulum, milk adderking snake, kingsnake - any of numerous nonvenomous North American constrictors; feed on other snakes and small mammals