Eastern Mud Snake
Farancia abacura • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Dipsadidae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Farancia, Species: Farancia abacura
Southeastern United States, ranging from eastern Texas and Louisiana eastward to Florida and northward along the coastal plain to southeastern Virginia.
Look up Eastern Mud Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Dipsadidae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Farancia, Species: Farancia abacura
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations are stable across much of their natural range, though localized wetland destruction and road mortality present ongoing threats.
Physical Description
Glossy black or dark bluish-black dorsal coloration with a very smooth, iridescent appearance. Heavily keeled scale appearance in this specific viewing angle due to body contours, though typically smooth-scaled overall. Strong red and black checkerboard pattern on the belly.
Size & Dimensions
The visible section is part of an adult estimated around 100 to 120 cm. Typical total length ranges from 100 to 140 cm, with females generally larger than males.
Habitat
Aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats including cypress swamps, slow-moving streams, marshes, bogs, and muddy banks of ponds and lakes. Highly fossorial or aquatic, often burrowing in mud or hiding under debris.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized diet consisting almost entirely of aquatic salamanders (such as amphiumas and sirens), occasionally taking other aquatic amphibians and small fish. Active nocturnal forager in aquatic environments.
Reproduction
Oviparous. Females lay clutches of 4 to over 100 eggs in late summer, usually in excavated burrows or damp soil near water. Females often remain with or near the nest until hatching.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations are stable across much of their natural range, though localized wetland destruction and road mortality present ongoing threats.
Cultural Significance
Often subject to folklore, such as the myth of the 'hoop snake' that rolls like a hoop with its tail in its mouth. Ecologically important as a specialized predator of large aquatic salamanders.
Notable Features
Features a sharp, pointed tail tip, earning it the old folk name 'stinging snake'.