Glossy Snake
Arizona elegans
Summary 5
Arizona elegans is a species of medium-sized colubrid snake commonly referred to as the glossy snake or the faded snake, which is endemic to the southwestern United States and Mexico. The genus Arizona has only one officially recognized species, A. elegans, with several subspecies. Some have recommended that A. elegans occidentalis be granted full species status.
Coloration: 6
Background color of cream to light tan.
A series of brown blotches along the middle of the back.
A pale longitudinal line behind the head along the spine.
The number of blotches is a character used to discriminate between the three different subspecies.
Behavior: 6
Glossy snakes are non-venomous and but like many snakes, they may bite if provoked. Their countersunk lower jaw enables them to burrow into loose soil quickly. They are nocturnal, feeding on small mammals, lizards, and other snakes during evening while remaining in underground burrows during the day. Glossy snakes may often be encountered on roads at night during April - September.
Habitat: 6
Glossy snakes are commonly associated with sandy soils found in a variety of different habitats: creosote flats, grasslands, and sagebrush plains.
General Distribution: 6
In the United States, Arizona elegans is found in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; Arizona elegans can also be found in much of the northern half of Mexico.
Texas Distribution: 6
Arizona elegans is found primarily across the western three-fourths of the state, but there are some scattered records in the eastern counties.
Conservation Status: 6
The glossy snake is not a protected species in Texas and can be legally collected with a hunting license.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Kerry Matz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/47456931@N07/4421116573
- (c) Jeremy P., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jeremy P.
- (c) James Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by James Bailey
- (c) Fraser Watson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Fraser Watson
- Adapted by Desmon M Dunn from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_elegans
- (c) Caleb Paul, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/776628
