Black Swamp Snake

(Seminatrix pygaea)

Color Photograph © by and courtesy of Kenneth L. Krysko, Florida Museum of Natural History

Black Swamp Snake (Seminatrix pygaea)

Identification: Snake 10 to 18 inches in length. A relatively small snake. Back and sides shiny black. Belly red, with black of back and sides extending downward into belly as finger-like projections. Scales smooth and anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation:

North Florida Swamp Snake (S. p. pygaea): 118 to 124 belly scales. Range: Coastal Georgia to central Florida, westward to southeastern Alabama.

South Florida Swamp Snake (S. p. cyclas): 117 or less belly scales. Range: Southern Florida.

North Carolina Swamp Snake (S. p. paludis): 127 to more belly scales. Range: Coastal Plain of North and South Carolina.

Range (see map on left): This species extends down the Atlantic Coastal Plane from North Carolina to Florida and westward through southern Georgia to southeastern Alabama.

Habitat: The Swamp Snake is found (as the name implies) in swamps, cypress and white cedar swamps, canals and ditches.

Food: Small fish, leeches, and frogs.

Behavior:  This species spends most of its time hunting and hiding in aquatic vegetation, although it sometimes appears in the open after heavy rains.

Reproduction:  This is a live bearing species. The female bears 2 to 13 young from August to October.

Swamp Snake (Seminatrix pygaea)

Similar Species:

The combination of its relatively small size, bright red belly, and shiny black back and sides easily identify this species.

Mud Snake (Farancia abacura)

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