Pine Woods Snake
Rhadinaea flavilata • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Rhadinaea, Species: Rhadinaea flavilata
Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States. Restricted to a narrow belt from southeastern North Carolina through Florida and west along the Gulf Coast to the Florida Parishes of Louisiana.
Look up Pine Woods Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Venomous Status
Mildly venomous (Opisthoglyphous/Rear-fanged); lacks a delivery system dangerous to humans.
Danger Level
Harmless; these snakes rarely bite when handled, and their small size and rear-fanged delivery make them a low risk to humans.
Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Rhadinaea, Species: Rhadinaea flavilata
Conservation
IUCN Least Concern, though it is considered rare or a species of concern in specific states (like North Carolina and Louisiana) due to habitat loss and fragmentation of pine flatwoods.
Physical Description
A small, slender snake with smooth, glossy scales. Coloration is typically reddish-brown, tan, or yellowish-orange. A distinct dark stripe runs through the eye, and the upper labial (lip) scales are often yellowish. The belly is white or pale yellow and unmarked.
Size & Dimensions
Adults typically range from 10 to 13 inches (25-33 cm) in total length. The specimen in the image appears to be a mature adult based on body proportions.
Habitat
Found in pine flatwoods, maritime forests, and cabbage palm hammocks. They are highly fossorial and secretive, often found under damp logs, bark, or leaf litter in sandy soils.
Behavior & Temperament
Extremely secretive and elusive (cryptic). Primarily nocturnal or crepuscular, spending most of its time hidden underground or beneath debris. Very docile temperament when encountered.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on small amphibians (frogs and salamanders) and small lizards. They use a combination of mild venom and constriction to subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg-laying). Females lay a clutch of 1 to 4 eggs during the summer months, usually in moist soil or rotting logs.
Venom Profile
The venom is adapted for immobilizing small prey like frogs or lizards; it is not medically significant to humans.
Look-alikes
Often confused with the Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata), which has keeled scales and a red belly, or the Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata), which has a black head cap.
Conservation Status
IUCN Least Concern, though it is considered rare or a species of concern in specific states (like North Carolina and Louisiana) due to habitat loss and fragmentation of pine flatwoods.
Cultural Significance
Virtually unknown to the general public due to its secretive nature; ecologically significant as a specialized predator in the fire-dependent longleaf pine ecosystems.
Notable Features
The iridescent sheen of its scales in sunlight and the dark 'mask' stripe through the eye are its most diagnostic features.