< Back | Name: | Scarlet Snake | | Family: | Coral Snake Mimics | | Scientific Name:
| Cemophora coccinea | | Description: | Harmless. Smooth scales. Orange or red incomplete bands, bordered with black, on a white or yellowish cream base. Belly white or yellowish cream, without markings; snout is pointed. Young are patterned like adults. Adults 14-20 inches in length. Remember the saying, “Red touch black, venom lack.” | | Range: | Statewide. | | Habits and Habitat: | Pine, hardwood or mixed pine-hardwood forests, with loose or sandy soils. Active March-October, active at night or after rains during hot weather. Breeds in spring, lays 3-8 eggs in June. Eggs hatch in August or September. A constrictor, feeding primarily on lizards, small snakes and reptile eggs. Uses pointed snout to burrow in loose soils. |
|
|
| |
|
Click Photo to Enlarge Suzanne Collins |
|
| | |