Farancia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Farancia |
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| Farancia erytrogramma | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Dipsadinae |
| Genus: | Farancia Gray, 1842 |
Farancia is a group of snakes known as colubrids. There are two main types: the rainbow snake (F. erytrogramma) and the mud snake (F. abacura). Both of these snakes live in the southeastern United States. They are special because they spend a lot of time in water.
Contents
What Do They Look Like?
Adult Farancia snakes are usually quite long. They can grow to be about 36 to 54 inches (92 to 137 centimeters) long. Their backs are typically dark brown or black. But their bellies are bright and colorful, often red or orange. Rainbow snakes are easy to spot because they have red stripes along their backs.
These snakes have strong, rounded bodies. Their scales are smooth and shiny, and they can even look a bit shimmery. They have 19 rows of scales around the middle of their body. Their tails are short and end in a small, pointy tip.
Where Do They Live and How Do They Act?
Farancia snakes are semiaquatic. This means they spend a lot of time in water. They prefer muddy areas near slow-moving rivers, ponds, or swamps. They like places where the water stays all year round.
What Do They Eat?
The diet of Farancia snakes mainly includes water creatures. They love to eat amphiumas, which are a type of salamander. They also enjoy eating eels and sirens, which are another kind of aquatic salamander.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Farancia snakes usually breed in the early spring. The female snakes lay their eggs in a burrow close to the water during early summer. The eggs stay in the burrow and develop for about 8 to 12 weeks. The baby snakes then hatch in the middle of autumn.
Types of Farancia Snakes
Here are the main species and subspecies of Farancia snakes:
- Farancia abacura (Mud snake) – You can find this snake in many states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
- Farancia abacura abacura (Holbrook, 1836) – This is known as the eastern mud snake.
- Farancia abacura reinwardtii (Schlegel, 1837) – This is the western mud snake.
- Farancia erytrogramma (Rainbow snake) – This snake lives in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
- Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma (Palisot de Beauvois, 1802) – This is the common rainbow snake.
- Farancia erytrogramma seminola (Neill, 1964) – This is the Florida rainbow snake.
Genus Farancia at The Reptile Database
See also
In Spanish: Farancia para niños
