Today I found one of the most unusual, elusive and beautiful snakes in the United States for the first time.

The Mud Snake is a highly-aquatic snake that is seldom seen because of its secretive habits. They are an iridescent glossy black with a red-and-black checkerboard belly pattern and the red often extends up the sides of the body.

Mud Snakes have a spine-like scale at the tip of their tail, and thus are sometimes known as “horn snakes.”

They are highly aquatic and spend most of their lives hidden in aquatic vegetation and debris. Unlike many other water snakes, Mud Snakes seldom bask out of the water and are seldom seen, even by dedicated naturalists and herpetologists.

Adults feed primarily on giant aquatic eel-like salamanders. It uses its uniquely pointed tail to prod its prey, causing it to uncoil for easier swallowing. Though the example I found was about two feet, this snake can grow to six feet in length.

It was a thrill to finally encounter this fascinating reptile for the first time.

Third Eye Herp
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