Tantilla relicta (non-venomous)

Crowned snakes are tiny, slender snakes that only attain an adult length of 8 inches.  They are light colored with a head and back of the neck that are black.  They look almost identical to the Southeastern Crowned Snake, but that species does not occur in our neighborhood and is found in the Florida panhandle and northward into the eastern US.  Crowned snakes are fossorial and infrequently seen.  They are most often encountered under rocks and logs and are thought to be primary prey of the Short-tailed Snake.