Page 31 - Arkansas Snake Guide
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SUZANNE COLLINS CRAYFISH/MUD SNAKES
Mud Snake
Farancia abacura
Range Mississippi Delta and Coastal Plain.
Description Glossy, smooth scales. Body is blue-black
to black above; belly is red to crimson red, checkered with
black bars. Red belly color extends onto the lower sides
of the body. Young resemble adults. Adults 40-54 inches
in length.
Habitat and Habits This thoroughly aquatic snake
inhabits cypress/tupelo gum swamps, bottomland
hardwood sloughs and the margins of cypress-lined
oxbow lakes. Active from April-October, it breeds in spring.
Females lay 11-50 eggs in rotten logs or stumps. Female
remains with eggs until hatching in August-September.
Feeds almost exclusively on amphiuma and lesser siren;
both are large, totally aquatic salamanders. This snake is
completely harmless and never attempts to bite.
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