Species
Southeastern crowned snake
Tantilla coronata
A tiny, burrowing snake with a black cap that eats centipedes, venom and all.
Photo MH Herpetology (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 20 to 25 cm long
- Habitat
- Sandy woods and gardens with leaf litter and loose soil
- Diet
- Centipedes, insect larvae and spiders
- In Georgia
- Statewide except the mountains
- Venomous
- No
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Small, plain brown with a black head, a pale band behind it and a black collar
- Told apart from
- Ring-necked snake, which is grey with a yellow ring and bright belly
- Where to look
- Under logs and leaf litter in sandy soil
Behaviour
Crowned snakes hunt centipedes, subduing them with a mild venom that is harmless to people.
Why they matter
They keep centipede numbers in check in the leaf litter.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Usually 1 to 3
Nest — In soil and rotting logs
Incubation — About 60 days
Hatchlings — Small miniatures of adults
Maturity — In two years
Lifespan — A few years
Living around people
- It is harmless to people.
Misconceptions
- A snake with a black head is dangerous. This one is tiny and harmless.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Underground | Underground | Emerging | Active | Mating | Laying | Active | Hatching | Active | Active | Underground | Underground |
Where it lives
Recorded in 8 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
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