Mud snake (Farancia abacura)

The mud snake is a non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. GBIF holds 1,263 licensed U.S. records of it; it reaches our listing threshold in 14 states, most of all North Carolina (524), Florida (188) and Texas (118). Its observation records peak in May.

14states on record

1,263licensed U.S. records

Maypeak month, observations

Novenomous to people

The mud snake (Farancia abacura) is a species of nonvenomous, semiaquatic, colubrid snake endemic to the southeastern United States.

From Wikipedia: Mud snake, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bitten? Call 911 for a venomous snakebite or any bite with trouble breathing. For advice on any bite or sting, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24/7, U.S.-wide). Do not cut the wound, suck out venom or use a tourniquet. General information, not medical advice. Do not handle or try to identify a snake or spider by this page; if unsure, treat it as venomous.

Is the mud snake poisonous or venomous?

No. The mud snake is non-venomous: it belongs to the family Colubridae, not to the pit vipers or coral snakes, the only U.S. land snakes with medically dangerous venom. It may bite if handled; clean the bite like any small wound.

Often mistaken for

The mud snake is non-venomous, but people often take it for cottonmouths (both are recorded in 14 of its 14 states).

Which states have the mud snake?

Records are spread over 14 states; the top three, North Carolina, Florida and Texas, hold 66% of them.

Source: GBIF, read 2026-09-29. A state is listed once GBIF holds at least 10 records of the species there under any license; Records counts only CC0 and CC BY records, so a listed state can show fewer.
#	State	Records	Share of state snakes	Rank in state
1	North Carolina	524	2.5%	15th of 39
2	Florida	188	0.9%	21st of 49
3	Texas	118	0.3%	54th of 86
4	South Carolina	109	3.0%	14th of 40
5	Louisiana	98	1.9%	15th of 41
6	Alabama	73	1.3%	28th of 44
7	Georgia	39	0.6%	22nd of 44
8	Oklahoma	27	0.2%	45th of 50
9	Virginia	25	0.2%	28th of 30
10	Mississippi	24	1.3%	23rd of 38
11	Arkansas	18	0.3%	24th of 36
12	Illinois	8	0.3%	30th of 33
13	Tennessee	6	0.2%	26th of 32
14	Missouri	2	0.1%	34th of 36

When is the mud snake seen?

Across the U.S., observation records of the mud snake run mostly March through October, peaking in May with 19% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 3% of them.

Where the mud snake is recorded in each state

North Carolina

North Carolina holds 524 licensed records, the 15th most recorded of 39 snakes listed there. Most of its licensed records in North Carolina come from Columbus County, Sampson County and New Hanover County. Next come Wayne County (37) and Brunswick County (35).

Florida

Florida holds 188 licensed records, the 21st most recorded of 49 snakes listed there. Its observation records in Florida run mostly March through October, peaking in October; most licensed records come from Alachua County, Miami-Dade County and Collier County. Next come Glades County (9) and Franklin County (8).

Texas

Texas holds 118 licensed records, the 54th most recorded of 86 snakes listed there. Most of its licensed records in Texas come from Hardin County, Liberty County and Harris County. Next come Brazos County (6) and Chambers County (6).

South Carolina

South Carolina holds 109 licensed records, the 14th most recorded of 40 snakes listed there. Most of its licensed records in South Carolina come from Jasper County, Berkeley County and Charleston County. Next come Georgetown County (10) and Colleton County (9).

Louisiana

Louisiana holds 98 licensed records, the 15th most recorded of 41 snakes listed there. Most of its licensed records in Louisiana come from Saint James Parish, Saint Martin Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish. Next come Saint Tammany Parish (6) and Tangipahoa Parish (6).

Alabama

Alabama holds 73 licensed records, the 28th most recorded of 44 snakes listed there. Most of its licensed records in Alabama come from Macon County, Covington County and Baldwin County. Next come Russell County (6) and Lee County (5).

Georgia

Georgia holds 39 licensed records, the 22nd most recorded of 44 snakes listed there. Most of its licensed records in Georgia come from Ware County, Charlton County and Chatham County. Next come Glynn County (3) and Montgomery County (2).

Top counties in the U.S.

Source: GBIF licensed records by county (GADM level 2), read 2026-09-29.
#	County	State	Records	Share of U.S.
1	Columbus County	North Carolina	59	4.7%
2	Sampson County	North Carolina	49	3.9%
3	New Hanover County	North Carolina	48	3.8%
4	Wayne County	North Carolina	37	2.9%
5	Brunswick County	North Carolina	35	2.8%
6	Moore County	North Carolina	31	2.5%
7	Alachua County	Florida	30	2.4%
8	Chowan County	North Carolina	29	2.3%
9	Miami-Dade County	Florida	26	2.1%
10	Bladen County	North Carolina	25	2.0%
11	Perquimans County	North Carolina	22	1.7%
12	Craven County	North Carolina	19	1.5%
13	Scotland County	North Carolina	19	1.5%
14	Tyrrell County	North Carolina	19	1.5%
15	Jasper County	South Carolina	19	1.5%

How recent are the mud snake records?

The mud snake record leans on older material: only 15% of dated U.S. records come from 2017–2026, and the median record is from 1983. The oldest dated record is from 1878; the busiest year was 1996, with 65 records.

Source: GBIF licensed U.S. records with a year, read 2026-09-29.
Decade	Records	Share
1870s	1	0.1%
1880s	3	0.3%
1890s	2	0.2%
1900s	2	0.2%
1910s	11	1.0%
1920s	12	1.1%
1930s	43	3.8%
1940s	64	5.7%
1950s	92	8.2%
1960s	129	11.5%
1970s	164	14.7%
1980s	126	11.3%
1990s	108	9.7%
2000s	101	9.0%
2010s	140	12.5%
2020s	121	10.8%

Species recorded in the same counties

Of the 105 counties where the mud snake is most recorded, 63 are also top counties for the southern watersnake, more than for any other snake. Venomous species among its neighbors: the northern cottonmouth.

Source: GBIF licensed records, top counties per species and state, read 2026-09-29.
Species	Shared counties
Southern watersnake	63
Northern cottonmouth venomous	57
Eastern hog-nosed snake	55
Rough greensnake	53
Eastern racer	51
Crayfish snake	45
Corn snake	44
Eastern rat snake	44

Other members of the family Colubridae with profiles here: Western terrestrial garter snake, Common garter snake, Gopher snake, Ring-necked snake, Northern water snake and Eastern racer.

Western terrestrial garter snakeThamnophis elegans

Common garter snakeThamnophis sirtalis

Gopher snakePituophis catenifer

Ring-necked snakeDiadophis punctatus

Northern water snakeNerodia sipedon

Eastern racerColuber constrictor

DeKay's brown snakeStoreria dekayi

Diamondback water snakeNerodia rhombifer

GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.

About these numbers

A species is listed for a state once GBIF holds at least 10 records of it located inside the state by coordinates, under any license. Every count, share, month and county shown is computed only from records published under CC0 or CC BY, so a listed species can show few or no counted records. Monthly patterns show when people record snakes, which also reflects when people are outdoors. Venomous status follows taxonomy: pit vipers and coral snakes; widow and recluse spiders; the Arizona bark scorpion. Records filed under older names count for the species they belong to today. Full methodology.