Common Whipsnake, Chironius exoletus. Peru, 2020
Common Whipsnake of the Amazon
Category: Colubridae
Indian Vinesnake
One of several Indian Vinesnakes spotted out after heavy rain in the Western Ghats a few years back.
Black Headed Calico Snake
Close up with a Black Headed Calico Snake, a harmless mimic of the Hemphrich’s Coralsnake which also lives in the area. Found a couple of years ago in Peru.
Cat-eyed Snakes of Texas
A common sight around waterways south of the US are the cat-eyed snakes; mildly venomous, cat-eyed snakes (Leptodeira sp.). However, they do make it into the country in one small area of extreme south Texas. We found this Northern Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira septentrionalis) there several years ago. For friends in Arizona, these are most closely related to the nightsnakes (Hypsiglena sp.), both in form and lineage.
Vidal, N., Dewynter, M., & Gower, D. J. (2010). Dissecting the major American snake radiation: A molecular phylogeny of the Dipsadidae Bonaparte (Serpentes, Caenophidia). Comptes Rendus Biologies, 333(1), 48–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2009.11.003
Sonoran Whipsnake
A young Sonoran Whipsnake near Phoenix. These snakes are extremely fast, daytime hunters that go after everything from lizards to other snakes. Most encounters people will have with them are as a blue-grey blur disappearing into the bushes, where it will seem to just teleport to another dimension if you try and find it.
Hemphric’s Coralsnake and Its Mimic
One of the many species of coralsnakes that can be found in the matrix of materials that make up the floor of the Amazon rainforest. This is a Hemprich’s Coralsnake. Also, its mimic, a harmless Black-headed Calico Snake. The body and head shape, as well as details of the pattern, are pretty different in a lot of ways, but it’s more than enough to make you think twice about reaching for one on a late night jungle hike when you see a black and orange flash in the leaves.
Sonoran Lyresnake
A Sonoran Lyresnake found in central Arizona on a night hike.
Chihuahuan Hook-nosed Snake Face
The face of a Chihuahuan Hook-nosed Snake. These are small eaters of invertebrates. The subtle scoop on the end of the nose is helpful for finding prey in the sandy, grassland soil where they live.
Hardy, L. M. (1976). Gyalopion, G. canum, G. quadrangularis (Unpublished manuscript). University of Texas. Retrieved from https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstreams/7425e5d2-4c40-4129-b736-a067e0a8d23b/download
Parga, V. M. (2018). Arthropod diets in Chihuahuan Desert snakes (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Texas at El Paso.
Young Sonoran Gophersnake On The Move
A Sonoran Gophersnake out moving across a roadway in the last sun of the day. Pinal County, AZ.
More about the Sonoran Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer affinis.) https://rattlesnakesolutions.com/Gophersnake
Coachwhip Sleeping In A Tree
Coachwhips are out and about on even the hottest days, rarely active at night. But they can still be found where they sleep, which is often up in trees high off the ground. We spotted this one doing just that just above eye level on a late night hike. These long, slender snakes are great climbers, and this is a reasonably safe spot for such an animal to evade predators and get off the hot ground.
