Types of mudsnakes

Farancia is a small genus in the large family Colubridae, the same family that holds most of North America's harmless snakes. It contains just two species: the Mud Snake (Farancia abacura) and the Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma). Both are heavy-bodied, smooth-scaled, semi-aquatic snakes restricted to the southeastern United States, where they favor swamps, cypress sloughs, blackwater streams, and the muddy margins of slow water. They spend much of their lives burrowed in soft soil or submerged vegetation, so they are rarely seen despite being locally common.

Members are easy to recognize by their glossy, almost iridescent scales and bold ventral color. The Mud Snake is black above with a red or pink checkerboard pattern running up its sides from the belly, and it has a hard, spine-like tip on its tail that gave rise to the harmless folk name hoop snake. The Rainbow Snake is one of the most striking snakes on the continent, with three red stripes running the length of a dark, glossy body over a colorful belly. Both are highly specialized feeders: Mud Snakes eat aquatic salamanders, especially amphiumas and sirens, while Rainbow Snakes feed largely on American eels. Like many colubrids they lay eggs, and females may stay with the clutch in a burrow until hatching.

Both Farancia species are nonvenomous and harmless to people. They are docile and almost never bite, relying on burrowing and hiding rather than defense, and the pointed tail tip of the Mud Snake cannot sting or injure. There is no medical danger from these snakes. As with any wild animal, the responsible practice is to observe and not handle, and to leave them undisturbed in their wetland habitat. If a genuine snakebite emergency of any kind occurs, contact emergency services or US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.