Description: Dorsally, the Texas indigo snake is predominantly black in color, with a high sheen which gives its smooth scales a remarkable iridescent hue. The underside is often a salmon pink color. It is a large snake, regularly attaining a total length (including tail) beyond 6 feet. Specimens 8 feet long are not unheard of.

Habitat: The Texas indigo snake prefers lightly vegetated areas not far from permanent water sources, but is also found in mesquite savannah, open grassland areas, and coastal sand dunes. It dens in burrows left by other animals.

Range: D. m. erebennus is found from southern Texas south into Mexico as far as Veracruz.

Found in these States: TX

Diet: It will consume almost anything it can overpower and swallow, including mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, turtles, eggs, and even other snakes, including rattlesnakes.

Reproduction: Breeding of D. m. erebennus takes place, generally yearly, in the winter. Clutches that average 10–12 eggs are laid in the spring, and hatch around 80 days later. Hatchlings can be up to 26 inches long. Maturity is reached in 2–3 years.

Status: The Texas indigo snake is listed as a threatened species by the state of Texas. Its primary threat is from habitat loss due to human development. Each snake requires a large home range to forage, and urban sprawl is shrinking its usable habitat. Roads bisect its territory, and many snakes each year are run over by cars.

Taxonomy: