Sonora semiannulata Groundsnake
Also known as:
Ground Snake, Western Ground Snake
Subspecies I've seen:
S. s. semiannulata
Variable Groundsnake
Sonora semiannulata semiannulata Variable Groundsnake
Sedona, Yavapai County, ArizonaApril 5, 2005
Variable Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata) Variable Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata)
This is a fairly common and widespread species, but what a beautiful common and widespread species! They are sometimes solid color, but all the ones I saw were banded. This was the first of the "one snake under a rock per day" series of snakes I came across in my month's stay in Sedona. In addition to three more Groundsnakes under rocks (but only one per day!), the others in the series were a Smith's Black-headed Snake, a Desert Striped Whipsnake, two Desert Patch-nosed Snakes, and two Night Snakes.
Sedona, Yavapai County, ArizonaApril 12, 2005
Variable Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata) Variable Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata)
In my month's stay in Sedona, I ended up finding five of these little beauties, ranging in size from a tiny baby about three inches long to a large adult of about a foot and a half. I encountered one of them slithering across a hiking trail; the other four were under rocks.
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