Page 40 - Arkansas Snake Guide
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WOODLAND SNAKES
SUZANNE COLLINS
Flathead Snake
Tantilla gracilis
Range Ozark Plateau, Ouachita Mountains, Coastal Plain,
and one known locality from Crowley’s Ridge. Absent
from Mississippi Delta.
Description Scales smooth. A small, light brown, tan
or red-brown snake with a salmon pink belly. The head
is dark brown or gray. Young resemble adults. Adults 7-8
inches in length.
Habitat and Habits A burrowing snake, it is active from
March-October. Found in rocky, open forests or pastures,
or in upland mixed pine-hardwood forests. Mating occurs
in spring; 1-4 eggs are laid in moist soil under rocks or
logs. Eggs hatch August-September. Feeds on scorpions,
spiders, centipedes and insect larvae.
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