Page 33 - Arkansas Snake Guide
P. 33

SUZANNE COLLINS  CRAYFISH/MUD SNAKES
        Glossy Crayfish Snake
                                Regina rigida
        Range  Mississippi Delta and Coastal Plain.
        Description    Keeled  scales. A  brown  to  olive-brown
        snake with a tan stripe along the sides of the body just
        above the belly. Belly is cream-colored, patterned with two
        rows  of  black  spots. Young  patterned  like  adults. Adults
        average 14-24 inches in length.

        Habitat and Habits  Glossy crayfish snakes inhabit the
        margins of swamps, marshes, sloughs and saturated soils
        of bottomland hardwood forests. This snake is active from
        March-October. Breeding in the spring, it gives birth to 6-
        14 young in August-September. Principal food is crayfish,
        but  it  also  feeds  on  small  fish,  amphibians  and  aquatic
        insect larvae.


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