Florida's Snakes
Pine Woods Littersnake or Yellow-lipped Snake
(Rhadinea flavilata)NON-VENOMOUS
Solid-colored
Pine Woods Littersnake
Photo by Ryan Means (Coastal Plains Institute). This photo may not be used without the express written permission of the photographer.
Size:
Usually 10–12 in. (max. ~16 in.)
Identification:
Body is yellowish brown to reddish and unmarked. Head is slightly darker than the body. Belly is pale yellow-cream. Lips are white, and a thin, dark stripe runs from the eye to the corner of the jaw. It is similar to brownsnakes and earthsnakes, but they lack a dark eye stripe. Scales are smooth. This snake lays eggs.
Habitats:
Found in northern and central peninsular Florida and in the central panhandle, and it may be encountered in the western panhandle. It is usually found in moist pinelands, but is also occasionally found in moist hardwood forests, and in areas where pinewoods have been converted to rangeland or urbanized. It spends most of its time under leaf litter, logs, and other debris.
Diet:
Small frogs, salamanders, lizards, possibly small snakes
Map by Monica E. McGarrity - may be used freely for education.