| 1 | Yellow-bellied liophis |
Maximum length: 112.1cm.
The Erythromlamprus snake genus has 55 members, making it one of the largest worldwide, and the most abundant member of all is probably the yellow-bellied liophis (Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus). This is a 60cm, mildly venomous species which inhabits southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.
The yellow-bellied liophis succeeds not by being lethal, but by being extremely flexible. This species is active during both day and night, and can inhabit primary forests, fields and disturbed forests alike. Their one rule is that they always require a water body nearby.
This species derives 98% of its meals from frogs and toads. While non-aggressive, its venom is capable of swelling a hand within 15 minutes, after just a few seconds of biting, followed by 3 days of intense muscular pain in the arm, according to a 2010 case report. Yellow-bellied liophises have an endless roster of sneakier defensive tricks too. They can raise a tail to distract from their brain, hide their head beneath coils, and even spread a small hood like a cobra.
Few species can match the sheer number of defensive tricks the yellow-bellied liophis has available. There’s biting, triangulating their head to copy a viper, producing a vile smell, gaping their mouth widely to produce an insane appearance. This study found that 15 seperate defensive behaviors had been documented in Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus. They can deploy these methods one after the other, in quick succession, as though they’re firing all their defensive cannons at once.
| 2 | Royal marsh snake |
Maximum length: 81.0cm.
One of the most widespread snake species in Brazil. This species not only inhabits the Amazon rainforest, but the dry east and Atlantic forests of the southeast. There’s no area of Brazil which the royal marsh snake (Erythrolamprus reginae) doesn’t inhabit, and they’re also found in Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, and Ecuador east of the Andes.
Royal marsh snakes are normally found near small ponds, puddles formed by rainwater, and small streams. The reason: this is the main hub for their frog prey. 95% of their diet consists of amphibians, similarly to the yellow-bellied liophis. Confirmed prey species include whistling grass frogs, Miranda’s white-lipped frogs, basin white-lipped frogs and Steindachner’s dwarf frog.
Royal marsh snakes are olive grey or green from above. Their belly is the most memorable, with bright yellow or orange overlaid with black squares (see above). Virtually nothing is known about its venom, but Erythrolamprus reginae tends to hold amphibian prey in its mouth for several minutes, as though allowing a potent venom to spread.
Royal marsh snakes mainly hunt by day, but are flexible enough to hunt at night as well. This is the most widespread Erythrolamprus member of the 55 in terms of sheer area covered.
| 3 | Mimic coral snake |
Maximum length: 74.5cm.
This Erythrolamprus member has no overlap with our previous two, as it lives exclusively to the west of the Andes. That means western Ecuador and western Colombia, plus Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Central America.
The mimic coral snake (Erythrolamprus mimus) averages at 40cm, with a record of 74.5cm. South America is full of coral snake mimics, but this is one of the most blatant. Erythrolamprus mimus closely mimics the black-white-red bands of its neurotoxic neighbors, with white forming the smallest spaces. In Ecuador, it mimics the trans-Andean coral snake, while in Colombia, it resembles the pygmy coral snake.
Up close though, they’re easy to distinguish because of their far larger eyes. Another ID sign is that the rings are broken on the belly, whereas in real coral snakes, the rings are fully encircling.
Mammals are completely off the menu for this species. Fellow snakes form the bulk of calories, including sleepy ground snakes and Ecuadorian centipede snakes, with lizards as a backup. While no chemical analysis has been performed of their venom, victims have experienced pain and swelling. Bites are rare, as mimic coral snakes prefer to flatten their body to create an illusion of size, or flee rapidly into bushes.
This species is often spotted in coffee plantations, particularly in Ecuador’s Intag valley, and stick to the ground rather than climbing trees. Within the Erythrolamprus genus, mimic coral snakes are most closely related to Erythrolamprus bizona.
| 4 | Almaden ground snake |
Maximum length: 66cm.
This species covers a huge swathe of southern Brazil, but is less commonly sighted than the yellow-bellied liophis. Almadan ground snakes (Erythrolamprus almadensis) also cross into Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina, and are easily recognisable by a reddish underbelly. They mainly inhabit grassy, hilly areas with plenty of moisture, where they fall victim to many predators.
In October 2015, scientists spotted a web in a dark rock hollow. Caught in it was an Alamadan ground snake, partly decomposed, accompanied by a Uruguay black beauty tarantula feasting on the flesh around its belly. Amphibians also join the feast, as a northeastern pepper toad was spotted eating an Almadan ground snake near the Brazilian city of Capela.
Overall, this is one of the more mysterious, poorly researched Erythrolamprus members, and that includes their venom. Almadan ground snakes rarely bite, and prefer to flee, or use the classic Erythrolamprus trick of flattening their body. This species is most closely related to Jaeger’s ground snake, also found in Uruguay and Paraguay.
| 5 | Common coral grass snake |
Maximum length: 71.1cm.
This species skips the densely inhabited southern areas of Brazil like São Paulo, but has a vast east-west span, appearing on the Atlantic coast, and crossing into Peru to the far west. Within that large territory, this is an elusive snake which successfully slips under the radar.
The common coral grass snake (Erythrolamprus taeniogaster) is a richly coloured species, with a dark green-black body, like the forest slime of 1000 years. This is followed by a red belly, and a domino white underside of the tail.
Erythrolamprus taeniogaster has a unique diet compared to its cousins, preying mainly on fish rather than frogs. In a 2022 study, scientists gathered 226 individuals, and found 64 identifiable prey items within. This was neatly broken down into 73% (47) fish, and 27% frogs and toads (17). One favorite included Synbranchus swamp eels, also a favorite of the 2.5 metre Brazilian smooth snake, meaning that Erythrolamprus taeniogaster has a brutal competitor roaming its jungles, which could potentially steal its meals.
Because of its diet, Erythrolamprus taeniogaster is nearly always found near water bodies. They prefer slow-flowing waters rich with floating vegetation, often murky waters with a low depth. E. taeniogaster swallows its prey by the head, and tends to hunt by day (diurnal). Rather than using ambush, it’s theorised that they seek out resting frogs and fish by invading their sanctuary hollows.
| 6 | Julia’s ground snake |
Maximum length: 62.7cm.
Our first island-based Erythrolamprus member. Julia’s ground snakes (Erythrolamprus juliae) live mainly on the Caribbean island of Dominica, where they’re one of just 4 native snakes, the others being the boa constrictor, Dominican blind snake and Dominican racer. From a distance, they look like they’re dull grey, but up close, the truth becomes clear: they’re actually patterned with rapidly alternating snowy white and pitch black.
Julia’s ground snake inhabits the whole of Dominica except the high mountains, such as Morne Diablotin (1447 metres), the island’s highest peak. They appear in rainforest margins and deciduous woodland, but drier coastal woodlands are their favorite habitat.
While this snake is poorly researched, its diet is said to contain lizards, amphibians and insects. Julia’s ground snake is also found on Guadeloupe to the north, a French overseas territory, but is much rarer there, possibly due to invasive mongooses (which tend to decrease snakes wherever they arrive).
Julia’s ground snake is mostly closely related to another island member, Lacépède’s ground snake (Erythrolamprus cursor), found exclusively on Martinique. These two islands are less than 15 MYA old, leading scientists to believe that the two Erythrolamprus members colonized them by overwater travel.
| 7 | Velvet swamp snake |
Maximum length: 85.3cm.
Perhaps the most loveable member of the Erythrolamprus snake genus. This 60cm species looks more at home in Toys R Us than a humid rainforest filled with cackling monkeys. Velvet swamp snakes (Erythrolamprus typhlus) inhabit the vast majority of Brazil, particularly the Amazon rainforest, but also the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, where there’s a high density of sightings.
This snake has an enormous number of morphs. Plain green is typical, but this is sometimes overlaid with black spots. Then there’s blue, orange, or purple, and the colours always have a strange silky or velvety quality to them, thus explaining the name.
This image shows a velvety swamp snake widening its neck, revealing electric blue skin between its scales. This freaky image shows one of the bluest snakes ever seen. Not only are its body and tongue fully blue, but it has one of the widest, most horizontally enlarged necks outside the of cobra family. Rather than a real snake, this individual looks like a stuffed animal from the Seaworld gift shop.
In 2022, scientists picked up a velvet swamp snake, only for it to begin releasing strange white drops of liquid. When the scientists later returned, the white droplets also returned. This had never been observed in the Erythrolamprus genus before, and the purpose was unknown. It may be similar to red-necked keelbacks in Thailand, which swallow toads and store their toxins as a milky white liquid, releasing them at enemies. Adding more clues, velvet swamp snakes are confirmed to prey on Rhinella proboscidea, a highly toxic toad species.
| 8 | Pygmy marsh snake |
Maximum length: 24.7cm.
By far the smallest member of the Erythrolamprus clan. The pygmy marsh snake (Erythrolamprus pygmaeus) lives in northwest Brazil, Peru and particularly Ecuador, which has the highest concentration of sightings. This is a fairly flexible snake in its habitats. Pygmy marsh snakes tend to appear near forests, whether inside them or in villages and crop fields not far from the forest border.
Pygmy marsh snakes move mainly by day, moving carefully through the leaf litter of the forest, trying to avoid being noticed. Despite being tiny, they have a few defensive tricks to unleash. One is spreading a neck hood similarly to a cobra, to create a false impression of size (see this image). This allows you to see white skin between their scales, like a series of cracks, like the snake is about to shatter under the strain of enlarging itself.
Pygmy marsh snakes also have some variation in colour, as this individual was much bluer than average. Its patterns change the further down their body you travel. In the upper half, they’re covered with irregular blotches, but as the tail approaches, these gradually transform into thin, parallel black lines. This snake poses zero threat to mankind.
| 9 | Military ground snake |
Maximum length: 150cm.
This species is found across much of Brazil, but is especially dense along the southeast coast, including near São Paulo, where sightings are legion. The military ground snake (Erythrolamprus miliaris) is typically a black-yellow snake, in rapidly alternating speckles, with virtually no colours between. The proportions of colours vary, with yellow occasionally dominating and black taking over in others.
Military ground snakes occupy altitudes of 100-700 metres, avoiding highlands. They’re found in Atlantic forests and riverside gallery forests, where they’re usually found close to water bodies, whether resting on the grassy shores or swimming along the well vegetated edges.
This is a short snake, at an average of 50cm. A 2020 study reviewed their diet, listing 38 prey identified to the species level. Of these, 79% were amphibians. 3 reptiles were recorded, including a snake, a Brazilian keelback (Helicops infrataeniatus). A mammal was recorded too, which is unusual for the Erythrolamprus clan.
This snake looks as harmless at its cousins, but tests on mice found its venom to be highly haemorrhagic. Whether this translates to humans is yet to be seen.
| 10 | Savannah racer snake |
Maximum length: 58.4 (so far).
This species inhabits northern Brazil and adjacent nations such as Suriname and eastern Venezuela. As the name suggests, savannah racer snakes (Erythrolamprus aenigma) skip humid rainforests and prefer open savannah areas, at altitudes of 90-900 metres.
This species was only identified in 2021, so knowledge is kind of scarce, although local ranch hands probably know more than we do. However, one savannah racer was spotted eating an annulated cat-eyed snake, and another eating spawn of the whistling grassfrog, which contained both eggs and hatched tadpoles.
Savannah racer snakes have a purple tongue, and look grey from a distance, but actually have rapidly alternating black and cream speckles which blend together from afar. In 2022, scientists found an Erythrolamprus aenigma colony in eastern Colombia, which was over 1000km west of its previously known western extent. Clearly, we barely know anything about this snake’s territory. Between the two locations lay enormous swathes of land where it had never been officially sighted.
Savannah racer snakes are relatively dull for the Erythrolamprus genus, which might be why they’ve escaped people’s attention. One rare ID feature is a pale neck collar, with a small gap in the centre, resembling the hands of a pinball machine.
| 11 | Fire-bellied snake |
Maximum length: 80.5cm.
This colourful species is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, staying to the west of the Andes. Fire-bellied snakes are mostly harmless to humans, but have a deadly diet, preying on poisonous harlequin toads and golden dart frogs. They’re most common near water bodies inside rainforests, and have more complex patterns than most Erythrolamprus members.
The fire-bellied snake (Erythrolamprus epinephalus) has two great survival abilities. Firstly, their camouflage in a rainforest is immense. Just look at their juicy jungle shades; there’s no way they could struggle to blend in.
Secondly, this species has the shocking ability to spread a cobra-like hood, in order to create a false impression of size. Rather than rearing up vertically, they perform this enlargement while flat to the ground, to enlarge themselves from a bird’s eye view (perhaps literally from a bird’s view).
The fire-bellied snake also lays its eggs communally, in order to increase their survival chances. Scientists exploring a trail on the western slopes of the Andes in Colombia found a small hole beside the path, containing at least 3 fire-bellied snake eggs. Based on colouration, these were clearly from 3 separate clutches.
Some were hatched, others unhatched. Later, the scientists observed two adult fire-bellied snakes slither into the chamber, and when the adult snakes left, additional eggs had been added to the communal hoard.
| 12 | Short ground snake |
Maximum length: 81cm.
A creature of northern South America, including eastern Ecuador, much of northwest Brazil and Suriname. The short ground snake (Erythrolamprus breviceps) inhabits not just forests, but wet agricultural areas such as rice paddies, grassy clearings near rivers, and flood plains. Rather than trees, moisture is the key to this species’ survival.
Short ground snakes have two survival methods, which are almost opposites. The first is rapid flight into the undergrowth, while the second is remaining completely still and allowing their camouflage to take effect. Short ground snakes eat a variety of small food items, including fish, tadpoles, frogs and toads, earthworms and swamp eels.
This species seems calm at first, but researchers report that it becomes unexpectedly quick when threatened. One short ground snake was found in a chamber 4 inches below a rice paddy, feasting on earthworms, alongside several deadly coral snakes and other Erythrolamprus members.
Three earthworms were found in the stomach of one individual, while another contained one small earthworm and one longer earthworm. Other characteristics include a short tail, and minimal variation in colour, both between the sexes and individuals.