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Reptiles of the United States  
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Snakes of the U.S.



Southern Florida Swamp Snake Range Map






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Southern Florida Swamp Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Black Swamp Snakes »» Southern Florida Swamp Snake (Liodytes pygaea cyclas)


Southern Florida Swamp Snake (Liodytes pygaea cyclas)STATUS





Description: Most adults are about 10-15 inches in total length. These small snakes are shiny and black. The belly is bright red with black markings on the edges. Juvenile coloration is similar to adults.


Habitat: primarily aquatic and inhabit a variety of aquatic environments such as cypress swamps, marshes, prairies, lakes, ponds, slow moving streams and rivers, willow heads, hyacinth-choked canals, and estuaries. They are particularly fond of waters with dense aquatic vegetation. These secretive snakes are rarely encountered away from water, but they can sometimes be found under logs or debris near water, in crayfish burrows, or crossing roads during or after heavy rains.


Range: They are known only from the central peninsula south to the tip of Florida.


Found in these States: FL


Diet: Swampsnakes are nocturnal (active at night) and feed on earthworms, leeches, small fish, frogs, salamanders, and small arthropods. Prey are swallowed alive without constriction


Reproduction: In Florida, females typically give live birth to 2-15 young between May and October.


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 cyclas - Southern Florida Swamp Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Black Swamp Snakes", 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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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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