Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found a snake on the way home from work tonight that I am having trouble indentifying. It red, black, then yellow with a white belly. I think that it is a scarlet but I am not sure. Any help would be appreciated.

Need to know where you're located, at least what state and preferably which part of that state.

If the belly is plain white or whitish, it's a Scarlet snake. In the Scarlet Kingsnake and all milk snakes within the same range, the belly "is heavily invaded by black pigment" (Conant/Collins 1998).

michaelb

In Scarlet Kingsnakes, the rings usually encircle the body, or nearly so. They may be broken somewhat mid-venter, but for the most part they continue across the belly.

What part of the country you live in would be helpful and a good photo would be really helpful. In a few areas, you may have three choices, between the Scarlet Snake, Scarlet Kingsnake and Eastern or Coastal Plains Milksnakes.

Not all scarlet kings will have bands completely encircling the belly. Generally the scarlet snake will have a white belly and the head may be rather orange too.
:Mark

Also generally, as adults the scarlet snake's white bands remain whiteish, while most scarlet kings will be some shade of yellow/orange.
:Mark