Rainbow Snake

The rainbow snake is a strikingly beautiful, highly aquatic colubrid of the southeastern United States, named for the iridescent sheen of its dark scales combined with vivid longitudinal red stripes. It is closely tied ecologically to American eels, which form a major part of its diet, and its distribution often mirrors that of its eel prey.

It is a shy, burrowing, largely aquatic species rarely encountered by people and poses no danger, being non-venomous and reluctant to bite.

• Glossy blue-black to purplish-black dorsal background with three bold red or pink longitudinal stripes
• Belly patterned with red and black bars similar to its close relative, the mud snake
• Smooth scales and a stout, cylindrical body
• Small head with small eyes and round pupils
• Pointed, hardened tail tip similar to the mud snake
• Adults typically 1-1.4 m in length

Inhabits clean, clear streams, rivers, and swamps with sandy or muddy bottoms, primarily in the southeastern coastal plain of the United States, from Maryland south to Florida and west to Louisiana. Highly aquatic and often associated with waters supporting American eel populations, its primary prey.

Secretive and largely aquatic, spending much of its time buried in sand or mud along stream bottoms, emerging mainly at night. Diet consists predominantly of eels, supplemented by other aquatic prey such as salamanders and fish.

Extremely docile and rarely bites. It is an egg-laying species, with females depositing clutches of eggs in moist sites near water, sometimes numbering several dozen.