Re: CultPhoto: Snake in April in N. AZ

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Hi Linda,

 

Sorry to be so long but did you ever ID your snake?  I am so far behind in my emails due to the National in Austin, Region 15, and the fact that my daughter is doing a major remodel on her condo and I have to spend a lot of time supervising over there.

 

If you did not get an ID try the California Black-headed snake.  I didn't see anything about how long your snake was.  This one only gets up to about 15".  This is actually a subspecies of the Western Black-headed Snake (Tantilla phaniceps)  for California, Desert, and Utah.  Range:  Arid and semiarid regions from Pacific coast to about 5,000".  Desert grassland to open mountain woodland, grequently in hilly areas and near stream.  W. Colorado through s. Utah and nevada to c. and w. Calif, south into Baja.  Eats worms, burrowing insect larvae, centipedes. 

 

I found it in my Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians.  You can probably find photos online.

 

Check it out and see what you think.

 

Jan in Chatsworth where we only seem to have boring gopher, garter, king, racers, and a few rattlesnakes.  And the California legless lizard,

Linda Smith <irisgrower@cableone.net> wrote: