Common Name: 
Mud snake 

Scientific Name: 
Farancia abacura

Identification: 25-80 inches; a heavy bodied snake, shiny black above, red belly with black bars extending upward on the sides; scales smooth

Habit: Swamps and bayous; Often seen traveling across roads near swampy areas

Distribution: Most of the state.

Comments: The mud snake, also known as the hoop snake or horn snake, has a dull spine on the tip of its tail. This spine is used in securing and holding the amphihuma, its eel-like prey. They can coil up into what looks like a french horn or hoop, hence the name. They are aquatic burrowers and are non-venomous.