California Reptiles & Amphibians

Arizona elegans occidentalis - California Glossy Snake

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Range in California: Green

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to the other subspecies.

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Adult, Alameda County. © Gary Nafis. Specimen Courtesy of Josh Shatsky

Adult, Alameda County. © Gary Nafis Specimen Courtesy of Josh Shatsky

Juvenile, Fresno County
© Bobby MacGregor

Adult, Fresno County © Patrick Briggs

Adult, coastal San Diego County
© Jason Jones

Adult, San Joaquin County
© Sam Murray

Striped Adult intergrade wth A. e. eburnata - Desert Glossy Snake, San Diego County © Ross Padilla

Juvenile, San Joaquin County
© Sam Murray

Habitat

Habitat, San Benito County

Habitat, Alameda County

Habitat, San Diego County

Description

Nonvenomous

Considered harmless to humans.

Size

Adults 26-70 in. (66-178 cm) Average length is 3 - 4 feet.

Appearance

Smooth, glossy scales with a faded or bleached-out appearance, but generally darker than other California Glossy snake subspecies - a tan or light brown ground color with dark brown blotches with dark edges on the back and sides and a pale, unmarked underside. An average of 63 narrow blotches on body.

Behavior

Nocturnal. Burrows, hiding underground in daytime.

Diet

Preys mostly on sleeping diurnal lizards, but also eats small snakes, terrestrial birds, and mammals. Kills prey by direct swallowing or constriction.

Reproduction

Lays eggs in June and July.

Range

Occurs from the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area south to northwestern Baja California. Absent along the central coast. There are also old reports of this snake from the Santa Monica Mountains.

Habitat

Inhabits arid scrub, rocky washes, grasslands, chaparral.

Taxonomic Notes

It has been proposed that Arizona elegans be split into two distinct species, possibly due to tail length differences between the eastern and western groups. The western glossy snakes would become Arizona occidentalis with the eastern remaining Arizona elegans.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None.

Taxonomy
Family	Colubridae	Colubrids
Genus	Arizona	Glossy Snakes
Species	elegans	Western Glossy Snake
Subspecies	occidentalis	California Glossy Snake
Original description
Arizona elegans - Kennicott, 1859 - in Baird, U.S. Mex. Arizona elegans occidentalis - Blanchard, 1924 - Occ. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, No. 150, p. 1 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Arizona - 1.) Latin - areo - to be dry and zona - belt of earth - refers to the geographical distribution 2.) arizonac - place of springs - American Indian word, refers to the Arizona region elegans - Latin - fine or elegant- refers to the color pattern occidentalis - Latin - western - refers to its western distribution in the U.S. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Arizona occidentalis occidentalis
Related or Similar Neighboring California Snakes
A. e. candida - Mohave Glossy Snake A. e. eburnata - Desert Glossy Snake P. c. catenifer - Pacific Gophersnake P. c. annectens - San Diego Gophersnake
More Information and References
Natureserve Explorer California Dept. of Fish and Game Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Snakes of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Bartlett, R.D. , & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000. Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997. Ernst, Carl H., Evelyn M. Ernst, & Robert M. Corker. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003. Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game. This snake is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
California Department of Fish and Game
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Forest Service
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List

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