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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Big Bend Blackhead Snake (Tantilla cucullata)


Big Bend Blackhead Snake (Tantilla cucullata)Species of Least Concern





Description: A Tantilla with an almost uniformly black head, the pigmentation including the chin and labials and terminating 3 to 4 scales posterior to the parietal; no light nuchal collar; mental barely in contact with anterior chin-shields; ventrals 167, subcaudals 82


Habitat: Habitats include steep-sided rocky canyons with pinyon pine, oak, and juniper; hilly grassland with juniper and cholla; streamside woodland with creosote-bush, acacia, yucca, and grasses; and low hills of arid grassland with creosote-bush, yucca, ocotillo, and agave; at elevations of 1,180 to 1,712 meters. This secretive, fossorial snake is usually under cover, underground, or in crevices; it may travel on the surface at night in summer when surface moisture is present.


Range: The range encompasses the Trans-Pecos region of western Texas; from near Shafter (Presidio County), through the Big Bend region (Davis and Chisos mountains) and east to the Dolan Falls area of Val Verde County. Small range in the Trans-Pecos region of western Texas; trend unknown but presumably stable.


Found in these States: TX


Diet: Eats small centipedes and slugs.


Reproduction: Oviparous. Lays clutch of 1 to 3 eggs in summer.


Status: Listed as Least Concern since, although its currently known extent of occurrence is not much more than 20,000 kmē, it occurs in an area of extensive, suitable habitat which appears not to be under significant threat, it has a presumed large population, and it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Tantilla
                     »» Species: Tantilla cucullata - Big Bend Blackhead Snake

This article uses material from the NatureServe article "Trans-Pecos Black-headed Snake", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


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U.S. Guide to Venomous Snakes and Their Mimics     Venomous Snakebite in the Western United States     Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast     The 10 Most Dangerous Snakes in the United States and Canada



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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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