Tantilla planiceps
—
Western Black-headed Snake
Also known as:
California Black-headed Snake
These little snakes are considered common but not commonly seen, because they spend most of their time under cover or underground. They are also easy to miss when cruising the roads at night since they are so very small. But I was driving slowly in the vain hope of finding a Barefoot Gecko (Coleonyx switaki), so this tiny fellow right at the edge of the road did not escape my sight.
Printed references:
- Bartlett, R. D., Tennant, A. 2000. Snakes of North America, Western Region
- Brown, P. R. 1997. A Field Guide to Snakes of California
- Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Edition
- Ernst, C. H., Ernst, E. M. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada
- Lemm, J. M. 2006. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region
- Stebbins, R. C. 2003. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition