Mud snake

Mud snake
Western mud snake, Farancia abacura reinwardtii, in Illinois
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Xenodontinae
Genus: Farancia
Species: F. abacura
Binomial name
Farancia abacura
(Holbrook, 1836)
Synonyms

The mud snake (Farancia abacura) is a species of nonvenomous, semiaquatic, colubrid snake endemic to the southeastern United States.[2]

Eastern mud snake, Pasco County, Florida 2011
Venter
Anerythristic eastern mud snake, Florida

Description

Mud snakes usually grow to a total length (including tail) of 40 to 54 inches (1-1.4 m),[3] with the record total length being slightly over 80 inches (2 m).[4]

The upperside of the mud snake is glossy, black. The underside is red and black, and the red extends up the sides to form bars of reddish-pink.

Their heavy bodies are cylindrical in cross section, and their short tails have a terminal spine.

Their head scalation is distinctive in that they have only one internasal, no preocular, and one anterior temporal. The dorsal scales are smooth, and are arranged in 19 rows at midbody. Ventrals 168-208; anal plate divided; subcaudals 31-55.[5]

Habitat

Mud snakes inhabit the edges of streams and cypress swamps, among dense vegetation or under ground debris. Mud snakes are commonly used as reference points for several other characters.

Behavior

Mud snakes are mostly aquatic, and nocturnal as they prey on amphibians. They are known to use their sharply pointed tails to prod prey items, leading to the nickname "stinging snake".

Reproduction

Breeding takes place in the spring, mostly in the months of April and May. Eight weeks after mating, the female lays 4 to 104 eggs in a nest dug out of moist soil. She will remain with her eggs until they hatch,[6] in the fall, usually September or October. They can also be born in winter, which is the most common time.

Geographic range

The mud snake is found in the southeastern United States, in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.[2]

Cultural significance

The mud snake is one of a few animals which may be the origin of the hoop snake myth. J.D. Willson writes:

Mud snakes are sometimes known as “hoop snakes” because of the myth that they will bite their own tail and roll after people.[2]

The hoop snake myth has also been attributed to the coachwhip snake.

Subspecies

There are two recognized subspecies of Farancia abacura, including the nominotypical subspecies:

References

  1. Boulenger, G.A. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xi + 382 pp. + Plates I.-XX. (Farancia abacura, pp. 291-292.)
  2. 1 2 3 Willson, J.D. 2006. Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Accessed April 23, 2011.
  3. Missouri Department of Conservation. 2013. Western Mud Snake MDC Online. Accessed May 18, 2013
  4. The University of Georgia. 2008. Mud Snake The University of Georgia: Museum of Natural History. Accessed April 23, 2011.
  5. Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3. (Farancia abacura, pp. 162-163.)
  6. Goin, C.J.; O.B. Goin; G.R. Zug. 1978. Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. W.H. Freeman. San Francisco. xi + 378 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0020-4. ("Parental Care", Farancia abacura, p. 121.)

External links

Further reading

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