The Mud Snake is a fairly long snake, growing to be between 38 and 80 inches long. It is shiny blueish-black in color with dark pink or red bars across its belly that cross onto its sides. Unlike some other snakes, the mud snake has smooth scales and a pointed, short tail compared to its body.

This snake is active at night, especially after heavy rains. It lives in swampy lake areas, flooded plains, or at the bottom of mud-filled streams. They are common throughout the southeastern USA, but like to be left alone and are rarely seen. During the day the snake hides under wet leaves or in moist wood. Mud snakes spend the winters buried in soil and mud until the warmer weather returns. They eat tadpoles, frogs, and fish--but their favorite food is a small eel-like salamander called a siren. The large teeth at the back of the upper jaw help the mud snake grab and kill its prey.

Like most animals, mud snakes breed in the spring. Between June and July, female mud snakes dig burrows in the soft soil and lay their eggs practically underground! They will lay between 25 and 50 eggs at a time, staying with nearby until the young are ready to hatch after 7 to 8 weeks.