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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Flat-Headed Snake (Tantilla gracilis)


Flat Headed Snake (Tantilla gracilis)STATUS





Description: The flat-headed snake averages seven to eight inches in length. Its head is darker than the rest of its body. The back is brown, and the belly is salmon pink. The scales are smooth. Its head is flattened and slightly wider than the neck.


Habitat: The species' habitats include rocky prairie, wooded hillsides, rocky forest edges, pine-oak uplands, oak-juniper brakes, pine woods, moist deciduous woods, thorn woodland, and grass-brushland. This semi-fossorial snake often is found under rocks or logs after spring or summer rains. Eggs are laid in shallow underground hollows, under rocks, or in decaying vegetation.


Range: The snake is found in the US states of Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas and in Mexico.


Found in these States: AR | IL | KS | LA | MO | OK | TX


Diet: All species in this genus are considered rear-fanged snakes that produce enough of a weak venom to help them overpower their insect and arthropod prey.


Reproduction: All are oviparous


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and presumed large population size, and because the rate of decline probably is less than 10% over 10 years or three generations. However, better information is needed on the effect of non-native fire ants, which reportedly have caused significant declines in abundance in Texas


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 gracilis - Flat-Headed Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tantilla gracilis", 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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