Common Rainbow Snake

How to identify

• Glossy blue-black above with three red or orange-red stripes
• Yellow or red belly with two rows of black spots
• Stout body with a hard tail tip
• Iridescent sheen in sunlight
• Aquatic habitat

About this species

Arguably Virginia's most beautiful snake, the common rainbow snake is an iridescent blue-black with three vivid red stripes running the length of the body. They are aquatic and highly secretive, living in swift-moving streams and rivers of the coastal plain. Despite being present, they are rarely seen — a sighting is a genuine herpetological treat.

Often confused with

Did you know

"Rainbow snakes are so rarely seen that new county records are still being reported in Virginia — finding one is considered a significant discovery by Virginia herpetologists."

Sightings & citizen science

Help document Virginia wildlife by logging your sightings on iNaturalist. Every observation builds the conservation data that researchers and rehabbers depend on.