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

Glossy Crayfish Water Snake (Regina rigida)

Identification: Snake 14 to 31 inches in length. A robust snake with a relatively small head. Color shiny brown to liver-brown with two faint darker lines on the back and 2 weak stripes on the sides. Belly yellow to cream-colored with 2 rows of lunulate spots. Scales keeled and anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation:

Glossy Crayfish Water Snake (R. r. regida): Side of throat with narrow, black lines; head with 2 preocular scales. Range: Coast Plain from Virginia to northern Florida.

Delta Crayfish Water Snake (R. r. deltae): Side of throat without black lines; head with 1 preocular scale. Range: Delta of the Mississippi River.

Gulf Crayfish Water Snake (R. r. sinicola): Side of throat without black lines; head with 2 preocular scales. Range: Gulf Coast from Georgia to eastern Texas.

Range (see map on left): This species ranges along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Along the Atlantic Coastal Plain its range stretches from Virginia in north to northern Florida in the south. The range continues along the Gulf Coast to eastern Texas.

Habitat: The Glossy Crayfish Water Snake is an semiaquatic species living primarily along the shores of streams, ponds, lakes, marshes, and floodplains.

Food: Crayfish, fish, frogs, and aquatic insects.

Behavior: This species is a nocturnal snake and is seldom seen except crossing roads at night.

Reproduction:  This snake is a live breeder producing 7 to 14 young during the summer months.

Glossy Crayfish Water Snake (Regina rigida)

Similar Species:

Striped Crayfish Snake (Regina alleni)

Graham's Crayfish Snake (Regina grahami)