Description: Dorsally, rainbow snakes have smooth, glossy bluish-black back scales, with three red stripes. They have short tails, with a spiny tip which they sometimes use as a probe. Adults may show yellow coloration along the sides and on the head. They usually grow to a total length (including tail) of 36-48 inches, although some specimens have been recorded up to 66 inches in total length. Females are larger than males.

Habitat: Rainbow snakes are found in aquatic habitats ranging from cypress swamps and marshes to blackwater creeks, slow-moving streams, and sandy coastal plain.

Range: F. erytrogramma is found from southern Maryland to southeastern Louisiana, including eastern Virginia, southeastern North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, northern Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. A small population once inhabited the Lake Okeechobee region in southern Florida, but was declared extinct on October 5, 2011.

Found in these States: AL | FL | GA | LA | MD | MS | NC | VA

Diet: Rainbow snakes subsist mainly on eels, but also prey on fish, earthworms, small frogs, tadpoles, and salamanders. They eat their prey alive, usually swallowing them head first.

Reproduction: Adult female rainbow snakes usually lay their eggs in July, leaving them underground in sandy soil. A clutch consists of around 20 eggs on average, but large females may lay over 50. The young are hatched in late summer or fall.

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

Taxonomy: