Pine Woods Snake
Rhadinaea flavilata • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Rhadinaea, Species: Rhadinaea flavilata
Venomous Status
Mildly venomous (opisthoglyphous / rear-fanged)
Danger Level
Harmless / Low Risk; they are non-aggressive, small, and rarely bite humans. Any potential reaction would be localized and minor.
Geographic Range
Southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States, from North Carolina southward through Florida and westward to the Mississippi River into Louisiana.
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN), though they are considered rare or of special concern in certain states (e.g., North Carolina) due to habitat loss and drainage of wetlands.
Physical Description
Small, slender snake with smooth, glossy scales. Coloration is typically reddish-brown, tan, or golden-brown. A dark stripe usually runs through the eye. The belly is white or pale yellow. They have small eyes with round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen is likely an adult around 10-12 inches. Typical adult range is 10 to 13 inches (25-33 cm), with a maximum recorded length of about 15.8 inches (40 cm).
Habitat
Typically found in damp pine flatwoods, maritime forests, and cabbage palm hammocks. They prefer microhabitats under rotting pine logs, bark, and leaf litter.
Behavior & Temperament
Secretive and fossorial (burrowing). Mostly crepuscular or nocturnal. When encountered, they are generally docile and will attempt to hide rather than strike.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on small amphibians, such as cricket frogs, and small lizards like anoles or skinks. They use mild venom and constriction-like body coils to subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous (lays eggs). Clutch sizes are small, typically ranging from 1 to 4 eggs, usually laid in the summer months.
Venom Profile
Venom Type
The venom is adapted for immobilizing small prey like frogs and lizards; it is not medically significant to humans.
AI-generated — see a qualified source if acting on this. For any snakebite, call emergency services immediately.
Look-alikes
Often confused with the Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata), which has keeled scales, or the Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata), which has a distinct black head cap.
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN), though they are considered rare or of special concern in certain states (e.g., North Carolina) due to habitat loss and drainage of wetlands.
Cultural Significance
Mostly unknown to the general public due to its secretive nature; plays a vital role in the ecosystem as a middle-tier predator within the leaf litter of southeastern forests.
Notable Features
Often referred to as the 'yellow-lipped snake' due to the pale coloration of the labial scales. It is one of the few members of the largely neotropical genus Rhadinaea found in the US.