Southern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata)

At a disturbed forest edge, near a wood pile.

Not only is this species rarely recorded for my area/county, but it is not often seen at all due to its secretive nature! It primarily feeds on insect larvae, spiders, and particularly centipedes.

This species is protected in the state of Georgia.

comments (8)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Whoa, that's one way to start 2021! Posted 4 years ago
1. Flown Kimmerling
  
  Lion
  
  Ferdy, I have surprisingly found SO MANY cool things in the past 24 hours (and I haven't even been out in the field that much). I'm hoping 2021 continues to be this awesome. Posted 4 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    That's so uplifting!
    
    At risk of sounding philosophical, I'm just going to Jedi mind trick myself in making 2021 awesome, whether it is or not. As for JD, we're getting near 100K photos by the way :) Posted 4 years ago
  2. 1. Flown Kimmerling
      
      Lion
      
      OOOOOHHHH! That is so exciting! Any plans for a celebration? Posted 4 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        Nothing massive, but I have written an extensive draft article that celebrates the milestone, details the full history of JD, and gives a sneak peak at its future. Will publish it with a banner on the homepage as soon as we hit 100K. Posted 4 years ago

Christine Young

Lion

Woohoo! This is so cool! Posted 4 years ago
1. Flown Kimmerling
  
  Lion
  
  Thank you, Twinsie! A wonderful New Year/Anniversary present <3 Jason spotted it first and I heard him yelling at me to get there fast! Posted 4 years ago

Flown Kimmerling

Lion

Today's Facebook post:

"The Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata) is a Colubrid snake found in the southeastern United states. Its range extends from North Carolina to Louisiana (with some isolated populations within Kentucky).
It is a fossorial (or ground-dwelling) snake which is very rarely seen due to its secretive nature. It is typically found in leaf litter and ground debris, under rotting logs and stumps, and under rocks on woodland ridges and hillsides. These locations are unsurprising as the Southeastern Crowned Snake primarily feeds on soft-bodied invertebrates like termites, spiders, snails, and centipedes.
Another interesting feature of the Southeastern Crowned Snake is that it is rather minute, ranging between 13 and 25 cm in length. As a result, it can be more vulnerable to predation.
While it is technically venomous (having small venom glands and rear fangs which are thought to be utilized in injecting venom into invertebrate prey), it is no threat to humans and is not known to bite when handled." Posted 4 years ago