Description & Size

• Legless
• No eyelids
• Lacks external ears
• Scales on the back have a ridge in the middle (keeled)
• Single anal scale
• Lightly colored stripe on each side of the snake that runs head to tail on the 3rd and 4th scale rows above the belly scales (ventral scales)
• Lacks black stripes on the lip scales (labial scales)
• Total length: 46.0-123.0 cm (18.1-48.4 in)
• Back color: black or dark brown
• Belly color: white
• Thin orange stripe extending from the head to the tail down the middle of the back

Habitat

• Wet prairies
• Wet meadows
• Edges of permanent bodies of water
• Roadside and agricultural ditches if they hold water for extended periods

Diet

• Amphibians
• Fish
• Insects
• Occasionally small lizards