of a braided whip. Some individuals are all black;
belly dirty white or pink.
Habits: Coach whips are fast moving snakes and
live in dry, open pinelands. They bite vigorously
when captured and are good climbers, sometimes
retreating to trees and shrubs.
Distribution: Upland portions of the Florida Parishes, central and northern Louisiana and the pine flat woods west of Lake Charles.
Comments: A common name for this snake is also the whip snake. Coachwhips thrash about violently when caught, which has given rise to the misconception of trying to "whip" a human with its tail. They are not physically capable of delivering a lashing to humans; they are only attempting to get away into safety. The Coachwhip is non-venomous.