How to Identify Snakes in Northwest Louisiana

25-70 inches. Light tan or beige above with dark brown crossbands and a reddish stripe down the middle of the back; brown band from eye to angle of mouth; tail dark gray or black; scales keeled.

14-45 inches. Beige, tan or pale gray, often with a dull pink or orange tint above, with broad, darker brown, hourglass-shaped crossbands that slightly paler on the lower sides; underside whitish with dark brown blotches.

15-55 inches. Dark tan, brown or nearly black, with vague black or dark brown crossbands; side of head black with a white line from the eye to the angle of the mouth

18-65 inches. Pale gray-brown or tan above with dark brown or black crossbars alternating on the back and sides; dark markings are smaller than the interspaces; underside yellowish with small dark markings.

20-65 inches. Racers are shiny black with white throats in the Florida Parishes. Racers in the Mississippi Valley and low areas of the southeastern part of the State are gray with black masks and whitish undersides.