Description: B. subocularis has a row of small scales (suboculars) between the lower border of the eye and the upper labials. Coloration is yellow to tan dorsally with a series of black, or dark brown, H-shaped markings. The eye is large and prominent, light-colored with a contrasting round black pupil. The tongue is pink. The dorsal scales are in 31 to 35 rows at midbody. The ventrals number 260 to 277; the subcaudals number 69 to 79. Adults are usually 36 to 54 inches in total length (including tail). The record total length is 66 inches.

Habitat: The Trans-Pecos rat snake's habitat consists of desert flats and brushy slopes, and rocky outcrops where it dens.

Range: The Trans-Pecos rat snake is found in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, and Nuevo León, and its range extends northward into Texas and New Mexico in the United States.

Found in these States: NM | TX

Diet: B. subocularis feeds on small vertebrates.

Reproduction: The breeding season for B. subocularis runs through May and June, while egg-laying begins in July and ends by September. At nearly three months, their incubation period is lengthy for a snake, at the end of which a clutch of anywhere from three to 11 snakes, each 11 to 13 inches in total length, hatch. As they are hatched during winter, the hatchlings may remain hidden underground for several months before venturing outside.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, and number of subpopulations; population size may be slowly declining in localized areas along roads as a result of collection for the pet trade, but overall this species is not very threatened in most of its range.

Taxonomy: