Milk snakes can be from 35 to 175 cm long, with the longest snakes being found in Mexico and Central America. In the United States lengths are usually 60 to 130 cm. They are very colorful snakes and their colors vary throughout their range. All milk snakes have a blotchy or striped appearance, with darker blotches separated by lighter stripes. The color of those darker blotches can be very light to very dark, from tan to rust colored to dark brown. The ligher areas can be orange, yellow, or white. The darker areas are always outlined in black. Milk snakes have 19 to 23 rows of smooth scales and a single anal plate.

Range length: 35 to 175 cm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike