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Scarlet Kingsnake vs Scarlet Snake
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Lyn Roueche, no rights reserved
Scarlet Kingsnake
Lampropeltis elapsoides
Non-venomoussmokeybear33, no rights reserved
Scarlet Snake
Cemophora coccinea
Non-venomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the belly. The Scarlet Snake's belly is plain white or cream because its markings stop at the sides. The Scarlet Kingsnake's bands wrap all the way around the body.
Pattern ★ This settles it
Red, black and yellow bands with red touching black; bands break on the belly.
Red blotches edged in black, with white, cream or yellowish gaps between them. The markings are on the back only; the belly is plain white or cream.
Head
Small head with a red snout, barely wider than the neck.
Small and pointed, barely wider than the neck. The snout is red and sticks out past the lower jaw, and a black band crosses the head behind the eyes.
Eyes
Round pupil, small dark eye on a red snout; no heat-sensing pit.
Small eyes with round pupils.
Pits
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
Tail
Short and banded; no rattle.
Short and thin. The red, black and white back pattern carries on down the tail.
What it does
Burrows under bark and litter; almost never bites.
Secretive and active at night, burrowing through loose soil by pushing its pointed snout forward and side to side. It seldom tries to bite.
Where it lives
Southeast: Virginia south through Florida and west to eastern Louisiana, Tennessee and southern Kentucky.
The southeastern and south-central US: from New Jersey and Maryland south through Florida and west to Oklahoma and east Texas, with small separate groups in Missouri and New Jersey. The Texas Scarlet Snake of south Texas is now treated as a separate species.