The Scarlet snake is a relatively small snake. The dorsal pattern consists of a light gray ground color, with a series of black-bordered red, white, or yellow blotches down the back. The belly is either a uniform light gray or white color. The dorsal blotches can extend down the sides of the body, appearing somewhat like banding or rings, which sometimes leads to confusion with other sympatric species such as the venomous Coral snakes or the harmless Scarlet king snake.
Scarlet snakes are found only in the United States, in southeastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware; with disjunct populations in New Jersey and central Missouri. They occur throughout most of the Atlantic coastal plain areas. They prefer open forested areas with sandy soil, prairies, and sandhills.
Scarlet snakes are nocturnal and are active only during the summer months. During the day they usually shelter beneath logs, under pine debris, or other organic litter. They also burrow underground during the daytime hours or use previously dug tunnels to reside in. At night they are often seen crossing roads, setting out to look for food. Scarlet snakes rarely bite when picked up by humans, although they can release a foul-smelling odor. These snakes will use their version of batesian mimicry and mimic the Coral snake as a defense mechanism in order to reduce predation and show predators that it is a venomous species.
Scarlet snakes are carnivores. Their 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.
Scarlet snakes breed throughout the spring months. They are oviparous and females generally lay 2-9 eggs per clutch, with the typical clutch yielding 5 eggs. The eggs are laid throughout the summer in burrows or under rocks. The young hatch 2 months after breeding, typically in the late summer or autumn.
The main threats to Scarlet snakes include the destruction of their habitats because of commercial development and the rising rate of road mortality. They also suffer from illegal capture for the pet trade and intentional killing.
According to IUCN Red List, the Coral snake is common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
