Research Question: Why do the Sonoran coral snake, the Sonoran Mountain kingsnake, the milk
snake, and the Sonoran shovel-nosed snake look so similar?
Claim: They look similar because they share the same environment, they have similar predators,
and some species are poisonous which led to bio mimicry.
Evidence:
1. Habitat:
-Sonoran Coral Snake: Desert Scrub,
Semidesert Grasslands, Woodlands
-Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake: heavily
wooded rocky slopes, steep canyon
bottoms with abundant leaflitter, fallen
logs, and rocks, Open rolling hills and
grasslands
-Milk Snake: Low valleys, Semidesert
Grassland
-Sonoran Shovel- nosed snake: dessert
scrubs
2. Diet
-Sonoran Coral Snake: Lizards, Insects,
Scorpions, Spiders, Other invertebrates
-Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake: Lizard,
Rodents, Birds, Bats
-Milk Snake: Reptiles, Mice, Small
Mammals, Birds, Amphibians
-Sonoran Shovel- nosed snake: Insects,
Scorpions, Spiders, Centipedes, Other
Invertebrates.
3. Predators
-Raptors
-Cooper’s Hawk
-Red- Tailed Hawk
 Coral Snake: 0.01
 Kingsnake: 0.01
Milk Snake: 0.02
 Shovel-nosed snake: 0.03
-Long- Tailed Weasel
 Coral Snake: 0.04
 Kingsnake: 0.01
 Milk Snake: 0.02
Shovel- nosed snake: 0.03
-Badgers
 Coral Snake: 0.02
 Kingsnake: 0.01
 Milk Snake: 0.01
 Shovel- nosed Snake: 0.00
Justification of the Evidence
1. All these snakes live in a similar habitat.
They all live in a grassy area, and
woodlands. As I look at the picture, they
are striped with different colors. This
color trait might have been able to
successfully camouflage with their high
grass surroundings. The Sonoran Coral
snake, the Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake,
the Milk snake, and the Sonoran shovelnosed snake went through bio mimicry
due to its fitness of color trait.
2. These snakes also have similar diet. This
may mean that they have an innate
behavior and appearance that can easily
catch their preys.
3. Moreover, these snakes have similar
units that were consumed by predators
due to their similarities in their looks.
Every predator does not consume theses
snakes for more than 0.4. This is
evidently due to their appearances. Since,
they are able to blend in with its
surrounding environment, predators do
not easily spot them. This was also led
by bio mimicry because their color trait
was mimicked from its fitness.
4. Bio mimicry: Sonoran Coral snakes are
poisonous, which led to bio mimicry
from other snake species, since the
predators tend to avoid poisonous
species for their own safety.