A coiled pine snake with dark and reddish blotches. — Photo: Benjamin Genter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Northern Pine Snake

Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus

A powerful, nonvenomous constrictor of dry pine woods that digs burrows in sandy soil.

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About the Northern Pine Snake

Northern pine snakes can grow to about 6 feet long, making them among the largest snakes in North America. They have small, pointed heads. They live from New Jersey through the Appalachian region to South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, almost always in dry upland forests, especially pine woods with sandy soil. They eat rodents, other small mammals, birds and bird eggs.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus^[1]
Size: Up to about 6 feet long.^[1]
Diet: Carnivore. Rodents and other small mammals, birds and bird eggs.^[1]
Habitat: Dry upland forests, especially pine woods with sandy soil.^[1]
Where it lives: New Jersey and the southeastern U.S., from Virginia to Georgia and Alabama.^[1]
Babies: Eggs laid in a chamber at the end of a burrow the female digs.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2007, for the pine snake species as a whole).^[2]

Fun facts

Female pine snakes dig burrows using their necks.^[1]
Several females may lay eggs in the same chamber.^[1]
It is one of the largest snakes in North America.^[1]

Vocabulary

constrictor: A snake that kills prey by wrapping around it and squeezing.
burrow: A hole or tunnel an animal digs to live in.
nonvenomous: Not able to inject venom.
cold-blooded: Having a body temperature that changes with the surroundings; also called ectothermic.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Reptile Discovery CenterSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Northern pine snake.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/northern-pine-snake (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Pituophis melanoleucus.” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/63873/12723588 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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