The pine woods snake (''Rhadinaea flavilata''), also commonly known as the yellow-lipped snake or the brown-headed snake, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of secretive
colubrid
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ev ...
found in scattered locations across the south-eastern United States. ''Rhadinaea flavilata'' is
rear-fanged and mildly-venomous, but not dangerous to humans.
Description
''R. flavilata'' is a small reddish brown to yellowish brown or dark orange snake with a whitish to yellowish, unmarked underside. A dark stripe runs through the eye. A light stripe may be present along the middle of the back. The upper
labial scales
The labial scales are the scales of snakes and other scaled reptiles that border the mouth opening. These do not include the median scales on the upper and lower jawsWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates ( ...
(lip scales) are a whitish or pale yellow color which led to its other common name, the yellow-lipped snake.
Pine woods snakes average between 10 and 13 inches (25–33 cm) in total length (including tail) at adult size.
Natural habitat
''R. flavilata'' is found in scattered localities in coastal
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
and
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, most of peninsular
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, and small portions of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, and
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. The pine snake inhabits pine and mixed-pine hardwood forests. They can be found in damp woodlands, under bark and in rotten logs and stumps.
The species has a scattered geographic distribution with large expanses occurring between known populations.
Behavior and diet
Because many ''R. flavilata'' are found in warm coastal areas, they are active for most of the year. They will hibernate underground or in logs in cold winter conditions. There is little information about the diet of the ''R. flavilata''. Captive species prey on small
frogs
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...
,
salamanders
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...
and small
lizards.
[ Conant R. 1975. ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Rhadinaea flavilata'', pp. 175-176 + Plate 25 + Map126).]
Reproduction
Pine woods snakes lay eggs.
[ Schmidt KP, Davis DD. 1941. ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (''Rhadinaea flavilata'' pp. 113-114, Figure 24 + Plate 9).] There is little know information about reproduction. Mating probably occurs in the spring and one to four eggs are laid during the summer months. Some females lay two
clutches
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts) ...
of eggs each year. The incubation period is six to eight weeks.
Predators
Natural predators of the ''R. flavilata'' include the
Southern black racer and the
Kingsnake
Kingsnakes are colubrid New World members of the genus ''Lampropeltis'', which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagous in diet.
Description
Kingsnakes vary widely in size and ...
, as well as carnivorous pine forest animals.
Shrews
Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different ...
, birds and toads are likely predators. Pine woods snakes do not bite when picked up but they can release a foul-smelling odor.
References
Further reading
*
Conant R, Bridges W. 1939. ''What Snake is That?: A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains''. (with 108 drawings by Edmond Malnate). New York and London: D. Appleton-Century. Frontispiece map + 163 pp. + Plates A-C, 1-32. (''Rhadinaea flavilata'', p. 70 + Plate C, Figure 11).
*
Cope ED. 1871. Ninth Contribution to the Herpetology of Tropical America. ''Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia'' 23 (2): 200-224. (''Dromicus flavilatus'', new species, pp. 222–223).
*
Malnate E. 1939. A Study of the Yellow-Lipped Snake, ''Rhadinaea flavilata'' (Cope). ''Zoologica'' 24: 359-366 + one plate.
*
Zim HS,
Smith HM. 1956. ''Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide''. New York: Simon and Schuster.160 pp. (''Rhadinaea flavilata'', pp. 83–84, 156).
External links
Reptile Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2381444
Colubrids
Reptiles described in 1871
Fauna of the Southeastern United States
Reptiles of the United States