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Carolina Swamp Snake Range Map






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Carolina Swamp Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Black Swamp Snakes »» Carolina Swamp Snake (Liodytes pygaea paludis)


Carolina Swamp Snake (Liodytes pygaea paludis)STATUS





Description: The Carolina swamp snake is a small, shiny black snake with a bright red or reddish-orange belly. It has smooth scales and its head is not much wider than its neck.


Habitat: Carolina swamp snakes are perhaps the most aquatic snake in the Carolinas and are found in cypress ponds, swamps, Carolina bays, and other shallow water bodies with dense aquatic vegetation. These snakes are very secretive and rarely, if ever, bask in the sun. If they do leave the water, it is usually at night during heavy rains.


Range: The Carolina Swamp Snake are found in the Coastal Plain regions of southeastern United States.


Found in these States: NC | SC


Diet: Carolina swamp snakes eat a variety of aquatic prey, including leeches, small fish, tadpoles, and salamander larvae. They are active feeders during day and night.


Reproduction: They give birth to 2 to 13 young between August and October, and the babies look like miniatures of the adults. Carolina swamp snakes feed during pregnancy and directly transfer the energy gained into their offspring, a process called income breeding.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Liodytes
                     »» Species: Liodytes pygaea - Black Swamp Snakes
                       »» Subspecies: Liodytes pygaea paludis - Carolina Swamp Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Black Swamp Snake", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


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U.S. Guide to Venomous Snakes and Their Mimics     Venomous Snakebite in the Western United States     Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast     The 10 Most Dangerous Snakes in the United States and Canada



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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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