About Regina grahamii Baird & Girard, 1853
Regina grahamii (common name Graham's crayfish snake) is a medium-sized snake. It has an average total length, including the tail, of 18 to 28 inches (46 to 71 cm), with a maximum recorded total length of 47 inches (119 cm); exceptional individuals can reach almost 4 feet in total length. Its base color is most often brown or gray, and it occasionally has a faint mid-dorsal stripe. Lateral stripes are typically cream, white, tan, or light yellow, and run from the belly up to the fourth scale row. The belly is usually the same color as the lateral stripes and mostly unmarked, apart from a central row of dark dots that is rare among specimens. This species lives along the margins of mud-bottom marshes, oxbow lakes, rivers, and streams. It shows a particular preference for roadside ditches that have abundant crayfish populations. Graham's crayfish snake typically hides under rocks, logs, and other debris at the water's edge, and also spends a large amount of time in crayfish burrows. Its geographic range includes the U.S. states of Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Adult female R. grahamii give birth to live young, in broods of 10 to 15 individuals. Each newborn has a total length, including the tail, of about 8 inches (around 20 cm).
