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Characteristics:
* Yellowish
body with brown or black blotches that appear as rings near the tail
* Alternating dark blotches found along each side
* The belly is cream
colored to whitish, with dark spots along its borders
* A dark mask or line
that extends across the head from the angle of the jaws to the eyes
* Keeled scales
* Nonvenomous
* Diet: rodents
(including gophers, ground squirrels, and mice), birds and their eggs, and various amphibians
* Habitat: open
grasslands
* Distribution: counties
in the western two thirds of South Dakota |
