Three Lined Snake, Atractus trilineatus Wagler, 1828. Photographed in Trinidad's Arima Valley. This is a small (350 mm) species of forest and savanna. It uses disturbed environments and lives close to humans. It feeds on a variety of invertebrates, and females lay small (3-5) clutches of eggs. When handled it uses the tail as a probe, with the tail and its scales forming a stiff appendage.
Trinidad Snail Eating Snake, Dipsas variegata trinitatus Parker, 1926. This snake is endemic to Trinidad and adjacent Venezuela, and is likely a species distinct from D. variegata. It feeds on snails that lack an operculum. It inhabits forests and forest edge situations. Adults reach 800 mm in total length.
Night Snake, Hypsiglena torquata Gunther, 1860. Top two photos taken in Brewster County, Texas. Bottom photo taken in Cochise County, Arizona. Adults may reach 0.66 m, but most specie ms are smaller 400-500 mm. It uses a variety of habitats, including deserts, grasslands, dry woodlands, and moist meadows at upper elevations (it is known from more than 2600 m above sea level as well as coastal areas). In fact this snake uses almost all available habitats within its range. It is common, but secretive, becoming active at dusk; and it can be found under debris on the surface of the ground during the day. The range extends from northern California, Utah, and Kansas southward into Baja, California and into central Mexico at least as far as Guerrero. Multiple subspecies have been names but it is unclear how many species are currently are under the name H. torquata.
The Blunt Headed Tree Snake, Imantodes cenchoa (Linnaeus, 1758). Top photo a neonate from Cayo, Belize. Bottom photo, an adult from Trinidad's Arima Valley. This is perhaps the most specialized arboreal snake in the world. Its extremely slender body, enlarged vertebral scales, and interlocking vertebrae allow it to reach branches that cannot be used by other species of snakes. Adults reach a total length of at least 1.5 m, more than 40% of its body length is tail. It ranges from Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec through Central America to Paraguay and Bolivia. It also occurs on Trinidad and Tobago. It is nocturnal and hunts for lizards and frogs on the forest floor as well as in the forest canopy. Females lay small (1-5) clutches of eggs, but clutches of 10 have been reported.
Cat-Eyed Snake, Leptodeira septentrionalis (Kennicott and Baird, 1859), Photographed in Chapala, Mexico. Adults may slightly exceed a meter in length, most are smaller (0.3-0.8 m). It inhabits lowland forests and forages on the ground and in low shrubs near water where it feeds of frogs and their eggs. It is distributed from southern Texas through Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia.
Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira annulata (Linnaeus, 1758). Photographed in Charlottesville, Tobago. This snake was found in a tree over a stream bed at night. It is referable to the subspecies L. a. ashmeadi (Hallowell, 1845). The species ranges from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. Total length can exceed a meter, but this snake has a very long tail (29-41% of the body length). It inhabits both forest and savanna habitats and it may use termite and ant nests as egg laying sites. Food includes frogs, frog eggs, tadpoles, lizards, and fish. This rear fanged snake has venom, and humans have mildly reacted to its venom.
Coffee Snake, Ninia sebae (Dumeril, Bibron, and Dumeril, 1854). Photographed in northeast Costa Rica. This is a small (350 mm) lowland snake that uses forests and forest-edge situations, it also occurs in agroecosystems. It feeds mostly upon gastropods, but it will also take earthworms. Females lay small (3-4) clutches of eggs. This species is common, and is eaten by a variety of snake predators, including coral snakes.
Pine Woods Snake, Rhadinaea flavilata Cope, 1877. Photographed near Gainesville, Florida. A snake of coastal areas from North Carolina to Florida, and westward Louisiana. This distribution is disjunct. It inhabits the leaf litter of moist forests, and feeds on frogs and lizards. Adults are 250-330 mm long, with a maximum length of about 400 mm. It has rear fangs and Duvernoy's glands.
Slug Eating Snake, Sibon nebulatus (Linnaeus, 1758). Top photo: Arima Valley, Trinidad. Middle Photo: Tobago. Bottom photo: Cayo, Belize. This is a very common and wide ranging species distributed from Veracruz, Mexico southward to Ecuador and Brazil. It inhabits lowland forests and forest edge habitats, including secondary growth and occurs in some agroecosystems. It is nocturnal, and often found in low vegetation, where it feeds on gastropods (with and without shells). Maximum size is about 0.8 m, but most specimens are smaller, 400-600 mm. One specimen I found in Costa Rica was being eaten by coral snake.
Yucatan Snail Eating Snake, Sibon sanniola (Cope, 1866). Photographed in the Macal River drainage, Cayo, Belize. Adults reach 430 mm. This snake inhabits wet forests and is active in low vegetation after dark. Like its relatives it feeds on gastropods. Females produce small clutches of eggs (2-5) laid during the summer. This specimen is referable to the subspecies S. s. neilli, which Campbell (1989, Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, The Yucatan, and Belize. University of Oklahoma Press) has suggested may be a distinct species.
