Pine Woods Snake

Snapshot

A small (about 10–13 inches), uncommon Coastal Plain woodland snake — golden to reddish brown with a darker head, dark eye stripe, and yellowish upper lip scales (“yellow-lipped snake”). Non-venomous; mild prey-oriented saliva is not a people emergency. Leave alone.

Description and identification

SREL: 10–13 inches; slender; brownish (golden to reddish) with darker head and lighter venter; dark stripe through the eye; yellowish upper labials. Smooth-scaled fossorial look. Uncommon to rare in Georgia/South Carolina despite local Florida abundances.

Look-alikes

Other small brown woodland snakes (earth snakes, brown snakes, crowned snakes) — check lip color, eye stripe, and head contrast from a distance. Not a copperhead.

Range in Georgia

Scattered Coastal Plain populations in the Southeast; uncommon to rare in Georgia. Inland records exist in South Carolina (e.g., Savannah River Site literature). Full native range is a patchy Coastal Plain footprint.

Habitat preferences

Woodland habitats, especially around wetland margins; under rotting logs, bark, loose soil, and leaf litter.

Natural history

Poorly studied. Fossorial and secretive; most often found under cover. Mild toxic saliva helps subdue small prey and is not framed as a medical threat to people.

Food preferences

Small amphibians and invertebrates typical of leaf-litter hunters (family pattern); leave ecology to observation rather than forcing pet-care analogies.

Temperament and encounters

Inoffensive and rare in our region. Replace cover gently if you lift a log.

Conservation and legal notes

Uncommon to rare in Georgia; protected throughout the state.

In Georgia, non-venomous snakes are protected nongame wildlife. Per Georgia DNR materials summarizing O.C.G.A. §27-1-28, it is illegal (a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail) to possess or kill many nongame wildlife species, including non-venomous snakes. It is also illegal to disturb or destroy dens, holes, or homes of wildlife (O.C.G.A. §27-1-30). Report what DNR states; do not invent statutes or exceptions.

Georgia DNR’s georgiasnakes overview notes that among native snakes discussed there, only the eastern indigo and southern hognose are state-listed as threatened (indigo is also federally threatened). Roads, habitat loss, and fear-based killing still harm common species; calm ID from a distance is conservation work.

If you meet one

Give the snake room. These small fossorial snakes are harmless and benefit gardens and woodlots by eating earthworms and soft invertebrates. Identify from a distance; do not dig up cover piles to “check.” Local educators can help with distant photo ID. Leave wild snakes alone. Never pour chemicals into holes.