Photo by RW Van Devender

Description: The pine woods snake is small with a shiny golden-brown to reddish-brown back. A faint dark stripe along the center of the back may be seen on this snake. The head of the pine woods snake is dark with a dark line running through the eye. The lip scales above the mouth are usually yellow, giving this snake the name “yellow-lipped snake.” Pine woods snakes’ bellies are white or yellowish.

Feeding/Diet: The pine woods snake has small fangs in the rear of the mouth and injects venom into its prey—usually small frogs and lizards.

Habitat/Range: It inhabits pine flatwoods and oak forests and is often found in rotting logs or under loose bark.

Reproduction: This snake lays 2–4 eggs during the summer.

Miscellaneous: This snake is harmless to humans.

Photo by RW Van Devender

Photo by JD Willson

This website created by: J. Willson, Y. Kornilev, W. Anderson, G. Connette and E. Eskew.
For comments or questions contact M. Dorcas: midorcas@davidson.edu.
M. Dorcas homepage: http://bio.davidson.edu/dorcas
Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina 28035-1719.

Text and maps from: Dorcas, M. E. 2004. A Guide to the Snakes of North Carolina. Davidson College - Herpetology Laboratory, Davidson, NC. – Copyright by Michael E. Dorcas.

Partial Funding for this website provided by a Associate Colleges of the South, National Science Foundation, and Duke Energy.