Dorsal color is black.
Ventral surface bright red or pink with black checkerboard pattern on belly and black bands on underside of tail. The Western Mud Snake prefers southern swamps and other slow moving bodies of water within its range. This snake is nocturnal and chiefly aquatic, but does burrow into the muddy banks. It feeds primarily on amphiumas, eels, and sirens. When captured, it is unlikely to bite, but it will wrap its tail tightly around the captor's wrist and press with its hard tail tip.