Description

• red snout
• yellow rings being seperated from the red rings by black
• belly often white with sharply contrasting black spots
• scales smooth (unkeeled)
• anal plate not divided
• See comparison with the Coral Snake

Habitat

Scarlet Kingsnakes (milk snakes) can thrive in a variety of habitats. They are usually found around coniferous or deciduous forest edges, but they can also be found in tropical hardwood forests, open woodland, dry or wet prairies, savannahs, rocky hillsides, small streams or marshes, and agricultural or urban areas. These snakes do not fear human proximity.

Range

South Central Virginia southward to Key West, Florida and westward to the Mississippi River. The species is more abundant along the Coastal Plain but has been collected inland at altitudes of almost 2,000 feet.