Pine Woods Snake

The Pine Woods Snake is a small, slender colubrid native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. It leads a secretive, leaf-litter-dwelling lifestyle in pine flatwoods and mixed forests, making it a rarely observed species despite being locally common.

It possesses mild venom delivered through enlarged rear teeth, used to subdue small prey, and poses no danger to humans due to its diminutive size and inoffensive nature.

• Small, slender body with smooth scales
• Light tan to yellowish-brown or reddish-brown dorsal coloration, often with a faint dark stripe through the eye
• Plain, unpatterned back in most individuals
• Pale, unmarked belly, often cream or yellowish
• Small head barely distinct from the neck; round pupils
• Distinguished from similar small brown snakes by its smooth scales and lack of strong body pattern

Inhabits pine flatwoods, sandhills, and hammocks with abundant leaf litter and rotting logs across the southeastern coastal plain. Prefers moist microhabitats under surface debris, particularly in areas with a history of fire maintaining open pine understory.

Secretive and fossorial in habit, spending most of its time under logs, bark, and leaf litter. Primarily nocturnal or active during humid conditions. Feeds mainly on small lizards, especially skinks, and occasionally frogs. Reproduction is via egg-laying, with small clutches produced in summer.