Mud Snake

(Farancia abacura)

"Western Mud Snake"

Color Photograph: Jeff Boundy, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Mud Snake (Farancia abacura)

Identification: Snake 38 to 81 inches in length. Back and Sides shiny black to blue-black. Belly pink or red with black of the sides continuing in stripes across the belly. Tail short and tipped with a spine. Scales smooth and anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation:

Eastern Mud Snake (F. a. abacura): Ends of red bars on the belly pointed; belly with 53 or more red bars (excluding the tail). Range: Along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from southern Virginia to Florida and westward to southeastern Alabama.

Western Mud Snake (F. a. reinwardtii): Ends of red bars rounded; belly with 52 or fewer red bars (excluding the tail). Range: Western Alabama westward to eastern Texas and northward in the Mississippi drainage to southern Illinois.

Range (see map on left): Along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia southward throughout Florida and along the Gulf Coast to eastern Texas. Also northward in the Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois.

Habitat: The Mud Snake is a denizen of swampy or still waters with a lot of aquatic vegatation.

Food: Salamanders, particularly amphiumas and sirens.

Behavior: This species is rarely seen, either burrowing into sandy soil or hiding in wet vegetation or debris. It is active and night, particularly on rainy nights and is sometimes seen crossing roads at night.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 20 to 52 eggs laid in a burrow in sandy soil.

Mud Snake (Farancia abacura)

Similar Species:

The shiny blue-black back and sides with the distinctive black bars on the belly make this an easily recognizable species

Black Swamp Snake (Seminatrix pygaea)