Milk Snake

Brightly colored and strikingly patterned, milk snakes are nonvenomous New World snakes with a wide range throughout North and South America. They are often confused with dangerous copperheads or coral snakes; however, milk snakes pose no threat to humans. In fact, they are popular pets easily bred in captivity. 

They are a species of kingsnake. Milk snakes and kingsnakes belong to the genus Lampropeltis. In Greek, this means “shiny shields,” according to Anapsid.org. The name is appropriate for the genus, which is known for its well-defined, glossy scales.