- Size:
Length in Kansas up to 14 3/4 inches.
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Range:
Generally found from the central Flint Hills west to the Colorado border; within
that area, apparently absent from large areas where suitable habitat does not exist. |
- Description:
Harmless. Scales smooth. Head much darker than body. Body and tail overall light
yellowish-brown with pink or coral belly. Seven scales on each upper lip. Young same as
adults.
- Habits:
Found on prairie hillsides, always under rocks; be sure to check flat debris such
as boards and sheet metal (sometimes cow patties). Very secretive; rarely seen in open.
Burrows to great depths beneath the ground during cold weather. Never bites. Lays a clutch
of eggs in spring or early summer with young hatching in fall. Eats small invertebrates
such as centipedes and probably insects and their larvae.
Click here for
information on precautions against being bitten by snakes
and what to do if you have been bitten by one.
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