Herp Quiz 4

A fairly large — 76-122 cm (30 – 48 in) — relatively slender snake that is orange, reddish brown, brown, or gray with 27-40 squarish black-margined brown or reddish blotches. The belly is checkered with white and black markings, resembling a piano keyboard or Indian corn. Other distinguishing characteristics include a spear-shaped blotch on top of the head, pointing toward the nose, black stripes on either side of the bottom of the tail, smooth scales, and a stripe extending from the back of the eye past the corner of the jaw.

Pantherophis guttatus

A large snake (42.0 to 72.0 inches in length) with a variable color pattern. Dorsal color is usually black spackled with bits of white between scales and having a light throat.

Some specimens may be gray with blotches of brown or darker gray on back. Scales are slightly keeled. Belly is whitish in color near the head, but becomes a black checkerboard pattern towards the tail. Juveniles are gray strongly patterned with the brown or dark gray blotches.

Pantherophis spiloides

A large (up to 81 in – 207 cm), non-venomous, highly-aquatic snake that is seldom seen because of its secretive habits. Adults are fairly heavy-bodied and are glossy black on the back. The belly has a red (or pink)-and-black checkerboard pattern and the red often extends up the sides of the body. They have small, dark eyes and often have some yellow coloration on the head. The scales are smooth and shiny and the anal plate is divided. Many of these snakes from the Savannah River Site have double anal plates. These snakes have a spine-like scale at the tip of their tail, and thus are sometimes known as “horn snakes.” Males are smaller than females but have relatively longer and thicker tails. Young resemble adults but their red coloration extends farther up the sides, at times giving them a banded appearance. They completely lacking red pigment (anerythristic) are encountered fairly frequently in the Southeast.

Farancia abacura

Sometimes called “puff adders,” these snakes are thick-bodied snakes that reach about 46 in (115 cm) long. These snakes are easily distinguished by their upturned snouts, but they are variable in color. The background color can be yellow, gray, brown, green, or black and often patterned with large, rectangular spots down the middle of the back that may resemble eyespots. The scales of this snake are keeled and the underside of the tail is usually lighter than the rest of the venter. The females of this species have a tail that has a fine taper to the end of the tail, while the males have a slight bulge near the cloaca and the tail then tapers off drastically. When confronted, the hognose snake will suck in air; spread the skin around its head and neck (like a cobra), hiss, and lunge pretending to strike. Eventually, they will even play dead, rolling on their back and opening their mouth. Often, these displays alone are enough to identify this species. Despite this fairly convincing show, these snakes almost never bite.

Heterodon platirhinos

A medium-sized snake (30.0 to 42.0 inches in length) with shiny, smooth scales. Prairie Kingsnakes are tan or gray with brown or reddish, black-edged blotches along the center of the back and 2 rows of smaller patches along the sides, which are occasionally fused.

Mole Kingsnakes are light brown to reddish with rounded, reddish brown blotches bordered by black. A backward pointing arrowhead shape occurs on the top of the head. Belly is yellowish or whitish with alternating square or rectangular brown markings.

Lampropeltis calligaster

These are large — 36 – 48 in (90-122 cm) — shiny-black, smooth-scaled snakes with white or yellow chain-link bands that cross the back and connect along the sides. Because of this pattern, this species is also referred to as the chain kingsnake. Generally, individuals from the Coastal Plain have wide bands while those from the mountains may have very thin bands or be nearly completely black. They have a short stout head and small beady eyes. They have an undivided anal plate. As its name implies, the speckled kingsnake (L. g. holbrooki), exhibits dark background coloration speckled with yellow or white.

Lampropeltis getula

These snakes are considerably smaller than milk snakes and reach lengths of 14 � 20 in (36-51 cm). The coloration and patterning is arguably the most beautiful of all snakes in our region. A mimic of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius), scarlet kingsnakes typically have alternating bands of red, black, and yellow in which red touches black but not yellow (in eastern coral snakes red touches yellow but not black. In the nonvenomous scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea), that is similar in appearance, the bands across the back do not extend across the belly. In sections of northern Georgia and Tennessee the two milksnake subspecies are known to intergrade with varying results in pattern and coloration.

Lampropeltis triangulum

Although fairly slender, coachwhips are among the longest snakes in our region, reaching over 8 feet (244 cm). Their coloration is very distinctive, fading gradually from black on the head to tan or nearly white on the tail. The proportion of black to tan varies across our region and individuals in southern Georgia and Florida can be nearly completely tan. The pattern of scales on the tail resembles a braided whip, giving the snake its common name. Young coachwhips are very slender and completely tan with irregular darker bands and white markings on the head and neck. Coachwhips have large eyes and excellent vision.

Masticophis flagellum

The Mississippi green watersnake is a medium-sized, dark-colored, heavy-bodied, semiaquatic snake. It was once somewhat common in southeastern Missouri but is now endangered and possibly extirpated from our state.

This nonvenomous snake will bite viciously and smear a foul-smelling musk if captured.

The back is greenish brown with numerous small, obscure olive-brown or dark brown markings. The belly is dark gray or brown with numerous yellow markings, most of them shaped like half-moons. A sure way of distinguishing between the Mississippi green watersnake and all of Missouri's other watersnakes is that it has subocular scales: a short row of small scales between the eye and the row of large labial (upper lip) scales.

Nerodia cyclopion

A medium-sized, semi-aquatic snake (30.0 to 48.0 inches in length) with a heavy body and keeled scales (not shiny).   

Adults are uniformly reddish-brown to almost black with a grayish or greenish cast on the lower sides.   

As the names suggest, bellies are plain yellow (sometimes with orange) in the Yellow-bellied Watersnake and red to orange-red (with brown dorsum color creeping onto belly) in the Copper-bellied Watersnake.   

Young are boldly patterned with complete dark crossbands just behind head transitioning into alternating back and side blotches.

nerodia erythrogaster