25-90 inches. Usually dark brown or black anteriorly, becoming tan or reddish on the body or tail; some individuals entirely black above; underside dirty white or pink. Juveniles are tan with narrow, irregular black crossbars on the body. The scales are smooth and in 17 rows.
Coachwhips are fast-moving snakes that inhabit dry, open pinelands and mixed woods. They climb trees and shrubs readily, and bite vigorously when captured. Coachwhips receive their name from the braided appearance created by the pattern of the scales on the tail. They lay from 4-24 eggs.
Upland portions of the Florida Parishes, upland parts of central and northern Louisiana, and the pine flatwoods west of Lake Charles.