15 Snakes that are Red, Black, and White (Info & Pictures)

We all know snakes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. These reptiles are common in most parts of the world, but there are some species of snakes with unusual quirks that are far less common than others.

Keeping this in mind, we are back with a list of some common snakes that are red, black, and white. It means that these particular species of snakes have all three colors present.

No wonder some of them are among the most beautiful snakes in the world. Probably, you have heard of this, “Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack.

It signifies that the snakes in the list are not harmful to us except for one. We know what you’re thinking of. So, from coral snakes to milk snakes, let’s begin our list of Snakes that are Red, Black, and White.

15 Snakes that are Red, Black, and White

1. California Mountain Kingsnake

Scientific Name Lampropeltis zonata
Size 24-30 inches
Life Span up to 20 Years
Location  western North America
Toxicity Not Venomous
Diet  small snakes, lizards, salamanders, rodents, birds, and eggs

Let’s begin the list of black, white, red snakes with California Mountain Kingsnake. It is an incredible red snake with black and white bands all over it.

California Mountain Kingsnakes are non-venomous snakes making them good pet. These snakes are mostly found in the mountain regions of western North America.


2. Prairie Kingsnake

Prairie Kingsnake
Prairie Kingsnake
Scientific Name Lampropeltis calligaster
Size 30-43 inches
Life Span up to 23 Years
Location  Southeastern United States
Toxicity Not Venomous
Diet  insects, mice, amphibians, small reptiles & snakes

Prairie Kingsnake is a reddish-brown non-venomous snake with white shade throughout belly and black & red spots all over the body. These snakes are very easy to keep as pet and best for beginners. These snakes mainly feed on small reptiles and amphibians.


3. Sinaloan Milk Snake

Sinaloan Milk Snake
Sinaloan Milk Snake
Scientific Name Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae
Size 40 inches
Life Span up to 20 Years
Location  Mexico in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa & Chihuahua
Toxicity Not Venomous
Diet  reptile eggs, lizards, snakes, amphibians, birds and small rodents

Another beautiful red, white & black snake is Sinaloan Milk Snake. It’s a completely harmless snake that mainly feeds on eggs, birds and small rodents.

They love to stay dry-rocky semi-desert regions. These snakes are predominately in red color with black & white bands all over it.


4. Red-Tailed Coral Snake

Scientific Name Micrurus mipartitus
Size up to 48 inches
Life Span 10-15 years
Location  Panamá, Colombia, Ecuador & Venezuela
Toxicity  Venom is highly neurotoxic
Diet  other small snakes, skinks and lizards

Red-Tailed Coral Snake, also known as Many-Banded Coral Snake is one of the highly venomous snakes in the world. It’s venom is highly neurotoxic.

Red-Tailed Coral Snake is black and white in color but has red shade bands on its head and tail. It is very beautiful yet dangerous snake.


5) Arizona Coral Snake

Scientific Name Micruroides euryxanthus
Size 13-24 inches
Life Span 10 years
Location  central and southern Arizona
Toxicity Highly venomous
Diet  blind and black-headed snakes, lizards

These snakes are widely in red, black, and yellow strips; however, here we are mentioning Arizona coral snakes (also known as Western coral snakes or Sonoran coral snakes) that are in red, black, and white strips.

These snakes are tiny and beautiful but don’t misjudge them.

Their venom is similar to that of the cobra, but due to their small size, they deliver significantly less venom that is not enough to pose as much danger to humans. Arizona Coral Snakes are mainly found in arid and semiarid regions.


6) Eastern Milk Snake 

Scientific Name Lampropeltis triangulum
Size 24-36 inches
Life Span 15-20 years
Location  Maine to Ontario in the north to Alabama and North Carolina in the South
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  Lizards, and small rodents

Let’s jump on to the sixth red, black, white snake, i.e., Eastern Milk Snake. In the southern areas of its region, most Eastern Milk Snakes are found in red, black, and white patterns.

These snakes are non-venomous and have smooth and shiny scales. Eastern Milk Snakes are commonly found in rural areas or open habitats like forest edges. They primarily feed on mice or other small rodents, birds, eggs etc. Eastern Milk Snakes are larger than venomous coral snakes.


7) Sonoran Shovel-Nosed Snake

Scientific Name Sonora palarostris
Size 17 inches (maximum length)
Life Span 10+ years
Location  the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  various invertebrates, including insects, spiders, scorpions, & centipedes

Sonoran Shovel-Nosed Snakes are non-venomous snakes from the genus Sonora and the family Colubridae. These desert snakes are native to the Sonoran Desert in North America. 

Most people get confused between Sonoran Shovel-Nosed Snake and Arizona Coral Snake due to their black, yellow (or whitish), and red bands. But the common difference is their snout. 

Coral snake has a black snout, while Sonoran Shovel-Nosed snake has a yellow snout. Another difference is the color of their belly. 

Coral snakes have patterns on their bellies, while Shovel-Nosed snake has solid yellow belly. It’s good to know the primary differences between these two snakes because, unlike Sonoran Shovel-Nosed snakes, coral snakes are venomous.  


8) Western Milk Snake

Scientific Name Lampropeltis gentilis
Size 13.8-53.9 inches
Life Span 15-20 years
Location  Montana and South Dakota, south to Louisiana and west to Arizona
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  reptile eggs, lizards, snakes, amphibians, birds and small rodents

Western Milk Snakes, also known as Pale Milk Snakes, are the species of Milk Snakes commonly found in Grasslands, Limestone, and other rocky areas.

These tri-colored snakes have a band comprised of black, white, and red or orange colors. Like other Milk snakes, these snakes primarily feed on mice, small lizards, and other small snakes. Also, they are non-venomous.


9) Scarlet Kingsnake 

Scarlet Kingsnake 
Scarlet Kingsnake
Scientific Name Lampropeltis elapsoides
Size 14-20 inches
Life Span 12-13 years
Location  throughout Georgia
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  mice and other small rodents

Another member of the milk snakes that are red, white, and black is Scarlet Kingsnake, also known as Scarlet Kings Milk Snake. Like other milk snakes, Scarlet Kingsnakes are non-venomous and mainly feed on mice and other small rodents.

These snakes also have tri-colored bands all over the body, consisting of black, white, or yellow and red colors. At the time of birth, scarlet kingsnake has white, black, and red banding, and over a time period, they develop varying shades of yellow. 


Must Read: What colors do Snakes see? Snake Vision


10) Mexican Milk Snake 

Scientific Name Lampropeltis annulata
Size 24-30 inches
Life Span 12-20 years
Location  northeastern Mexico in Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo León
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  rodents & lizards

Mexican Milk Snake, also known as Tamaulipas Milk Snake, is a species of Milksnake native to the hot semiarid regions of northeastern Mexico. These snakes have a slightly different pattern with narrow bands of yellow or white and black colors.

The popular phrase, “Red on yellow kill a fellow. Red on black venom lack,” doesn’t apply to Milk snakes, as they are non-venomous.


11) Miami Corn Snake

Scientific Name Pantherophis guttatus
Size 24-51 inches
Life Span up to 23 years
Location  Southeastern and central United States
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  rodents

The corn snake is a species of North American rat snake that hunts its food through constriction. Corn snakes have been named like this as they’re primarily present near grain stores, where it hunts mice and rats that eat harvested crops.

Since they’re not venomous, this snake species benefits humans by assisting in controlling populations of wild pests. Hence, further protecting our crops and spreading of diseases.

Miami snake has a silver body with red-orange patches on it. Their age expectancy can exceed 23 years but only in captivity. 

Their food includes young mice, bird’s eggs, white-footed mice or some other amphibians and reptiles. Corn snakes are one of the most popular pet snakes throughout the world. 


12) Central American Milk Snake

Scientific Name Lampropeltis triangulum
Size 14-72 inches
Life Span up to 20 years
Location  Southeastern extreme of Canada through the eastern half of the United States
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  birds, bird eggs, lizards, snake eggs

Central American milk snake is a species of kingsnake that are found in North and Central American regions of the world. Milk snakes are found in forested areas, near swamps, rocky slopes and beaches. They have smooth, shiny scales predominantly of red, black and white colors.

Milk snakes have only tiny teeth and are non-venomous. Hence, makes them harmless for human beings. Milk snakes hunt down crickets, insects, slugs, earthworms, lizards, bird’s eggs, frogs, fish and their snakes.

Male ones are larger than female milk snakes, but female ones are bulkier than males. They are also popular pets throughout the world. 


9) South American Milk Snake

South American Milk Snake
South American Milk Snake
Scientific Name Lamproletis micropholis
Size 14-69 inches
Life Span up to 20 years
Location  Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  bird’s eggs, frogs, fish

The South American milk snake, commonly called the Ecuadorian milk snake, is a species of milk snake that is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.

They possess significantly three colors, red, black and mustard, in which alternating red and mustard bands surrounded with black strips can be seen. Milk snakes are not venomous and hence harmless to human beings. They feed on small rodents, bird’s eggs, frogs, fish and their eggs as well.

Milk snakes have a size of 14 to 69 inches. Male and female ones grow to the same length, but females are slightly bulkier than males. They are also among the most popular pet snakes in the world.


10) Pueblan Milk Snake

Pueblan Milk Snake
Pueblan Milk Snake
Scientific Name Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli
Size 36-48 inches
Life Span up to 20 years
Location  southern Puebla, eastern Morelos and northern Oaxaca, Mexico
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  mice, rats, birds, lizards, frogs

Pueblan milk snake also called Campbell’s milk snake, is one of the most beautiful snakes with vivid color variations. They have black, red, and white color bands all over the body.

Not only this, Pueblan milk snakes have extensive white bands giving them distinguishing characteristics from other milk snakes. They rarely bite.

Their diet comprises a wide range, including mice, rats, birds, lizards, frogs, and other snakes, including venomous snakes. They are non-venomous and can grow up to 48 inches.


11) Florida Scarlet Snake

Scientific Name Cemophora coccinea
Size 14-20 inches
Life Span 20+ years
Location  throughout Florida
Toxicity not venomous
Diet  small rodents

Let’s end the list of snakes that are red, white, and black with the Florida Scarlet snake, also known as the Northern Scarletsnake. They have skinny bodies with band markings in black, white, and red colors. They have shiny scales and are non-venomous. 

Florida Scarlet Snakes are not dangerous to humans or pets and feed on small rodents.

Here, we conclude our article on “Snakes that are Red, Black, and White.” Most of them are from the Milk Snake species. We hope you like our post. We will be back with another interesting post. Till then, stay tuned with us and read the articles mentioned below.


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