Graham's Crayfish Snake

Graham's Crayfish Snake is a slender, semi-aquatic colubrid found across the central United States, from the tallgrass prairies of the Great Plains to wetlands along the Gulf Coast. Like its relative the Queen Snake, it is closely tied to crayfish availability, forming a large part of its diet.

This harmless species prefers slow-moving waters such as ponds, sluggish streams, and marsh edges, and is rarely encountered far from water.

• Slender body with keeled scales
• Olive-brown to grayish-brown dorsal coloration with a broad pale yellow stripe on each side
• Faint dark stripe often present along the lower side beneath the yellow stripe
• Plain, unmarked pale yellow to cream belly
• Small head, not strongly distinct from the neck; round pupils
• Distinguished from the Queen Snake by an unstriped (plain) belly rather than a striped one

Found in ponds, sluggish streams, oxbow lakes, and marshes across the central Great Plains and lower Midwest, extending to Gulf Coast wetlands. Prefers slow-moving or still water with abundant crayfish and dense aquatic vegetation.

Semi-aquatic and often active during the day, basking near water and retreating quickly when disturbed. Feeds heavily on crayfish, as well as small fish and amphibians. Gives birth to live young in mid to late summer, with relatively large litters.