Glossy Crayfish Snake

The Glossy Crayfish Snake is a small, semi-aquatic colubrid found in wetlands throughout the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. True to its name, its scales have a distinctive glossy sheen, and like its relatives in the genus Regina, it feeds heavily on crayfish.

This secretive, harmless species spends much of its time hidden in aquatic vegetation, crayfish burrows, or leaf litter near water, making it infrequently observed despite being locally common.

• Small, moderately stout body with strongly keeled scales giving a somewhat rough yet glossy appearance
• Uniform dark brown to olive-brown dorsal coloration, sometimes with faint darker stripes
• Pale yellowish belly with two rows of small dark half-moon spots
• Small head, barely distinct from the neck; round pupils
• Distinguished from other crayfish snakes by its darker, more uniform dorsal color and heavily keeled scales

Inhabits swamps, marshes, ditches, and slow-moving streams with abundant vegetation and crayfish burrows across the southeastern coastal plain from Virginia to Texas. Often found in association with cypress swamps and heavily vegetated wetland edges.

Secretive and largely nocturnal, hiding by day in crayfish burrows, under logs, or in dense vegetation. Feeds primarily on crayfish, particularly soft-shelled individuals. Gives birth to live young in late summer.