If captured, it will rarely bite, but may instead release a smelly musk from glands at the base of its tail. The female lined snake produces one litter of 2-12 young per breeding season. This snake is active from April to October or November, especially after a rain. It feeds primarily on earthworms. The lined snake occurs in the southern Great Plains from Texas north to Nebraska, South Dakota and lowa.
Disjunct populations are present in the southwestern and central portions of the United States.
In South Dakota, it has been documented in Clay, Minnehaha and Union Counties. Lined snake habitat is lost through conversion for other uses.