Description: The northern scarlet snake grows to 14 to 20 inches in total length (including tail). It is typically a gray or white base color, with 17 to 24 red blotches bordered by black that go down the back. The black borders on the blotches often join on the lower sides of the snake forming a line down the length of the body. The dorsal scales are smooth. The northern scarlet snake can sometimes be mistaken for the scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) or the eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) in the areas where the geographic ranges of the species overlap.

Habitat: Scarlet snakes live under flat rocks, logs, leaves, or other objects. This snake can quickly burrow into the sandy substrate by thrusting its head and neck back and forth until concealed beneath the loose soil.

Range: The northern scarlet snake is found in the United States, in: eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, southern Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and barely into northern Florida, with disjunct populations New Jersey, and central Missouri.

Found in these States: AL | AR | FL | GA | IL | IN | KY | LA | MD | MO | MS | NC | NJ | OK | SC | TN | TX | VA |

Diet: Diet consists of lizards, small rodents, the eggs of lizards, turtles, and other snakes. Their large, very sharp posterior teeth are used to slash open large reptile eggs. The snake will either squeeze an egg to expel its contents or thrust its head into the egg to break it open. The smallest reptile eggs are eaten in their entirety.

Reproduction: There is very little known about the reproductive habits of the scarlet snake. It is oviparous, generally laying 2 to 9 eggs per clutch, with the typical clutch yielding five eggs. Breeding occurs throughout the spring months, and eggs are laid throughout the summer in burrows or under rocks. The eggs hatch two months after breeding, typically in the late summer or autumn.

Status: The northern scarlet snake holds no particular conservation status throughout most of its range, but it is listed as endangered species in the states of Indiana and Florida. It is only found in a single county in each state as these are the northern and southern extents of its range. 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: