California Reptiles & Amphibians

Contia tenuis - Sharp-tailed Snake

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Range in California: Red

Dot-locality range map

Short-tailed Form

Adult, Butte County

Juvenile, Butte County

Adult, Lake County

Juveniles, Contra Costa County

Adult, coiled defensively hiding its head, Contra Costa County

Adult, Contra Costa County

Adult, Butte County
© Jackson Shedd

Adult, Yuba County

Underside of adult, Santa Clara County

Sharp point at the tip of the tail.

Adult, Monterey County
© Patrick Briggs

Fresno County © Patrick Briggs

Adult, San Mateo County
© Rory Doolin

Often several Sharp-tailed Snakes will be found underneath the same cover object, in this case a large board in San Mateo County. © Rory Doolin

Adult, Alameda County
© David Kositchek

Juvenile from Butte County, probably hypo-melanistic or amelanistic.
© Jackson Shedd

Riparian mixed woodland/grassland habitat, Contra Costa County

Mixed woodland/grassland habitat beside reservoir, Contra Costa County

Habitat, Butte County

Habitat, next to small creek, Lake County

Riparian mixed woodland/grassland habitat, Contra Costa County

Long-tailed Form

According to research done by Richard Hoyer, the Sharp-tailed Snake as it is commonly known consists of two species that are similar in appearance. The long-tailed from has a longer tail, and a greater number of subcaudal scales. The coloring of the underside is also a duller cream color in the long-tailed from, and the dark bars are narrower and lighter. There also appears to be a difference in dorsal scale coloration, with the long-tailed form being some shade of dull red and the short-tailed from shades of pinkish-brown. See Taxonomic Notes.

Adult, Santa Cruz County,
long-tailed form

Underside of adult, Santa Cruz County

Adult, Santa Cruz County,
long-tailed form

Comparisons of two snakes, a long-tailed adult from Santa Cruz County, and a short-tailed adult from Santa Clara County.

Long-tailed on left,
short-tailed on right.

Short-tailed on the left,
long-tailed on the right.

Long-tailed on top,
short-tailed on bottom.

Habitat, Santa Cruz County
(long-tailed form)

Habitat, Mendocino County
(long-tailed form)

Habitat, Santa Cruz County
(long-tailed form)

Description

Nonvenomous

Considered harmless to humans.

Size

A small snake - Adults average 8 - 12 inches long, getting up to 18 inches long. Hatchlings are about 3 inches long.

Appearance

Adults are gray or brownish red above, with alternating crossbars of black and cream or light gray underneath. Sometimes there is a yellowish or reddish line on the upper sides. Juveniles are reddish with dark lines on the sides. The tail has a sharp spine at the tip, which gives this snake its name.

Behavior

Secretive, spends much time under surface objects or underground. A good burrower. Prefers moist environments. Active when the ground is damp, occasionally during of after rains, and sometimes during surface temperatures as low as 50 degrees. Long teeth allow the snake to hold on to its slippery prey.

Diet

Feeds on slugs and their eggs and on slender salamanders.

Reproduction

Lays eggs in June or July. Hatchlings emerge in mid-autumn.

Range

Ranges from British Columbia and Vancouver Island south to near San Luis Obispo on the coast, and inland along the foothills of the Sierras south to Tulare County.

Habitat

Found in woodland, forests, grassland, chaparral, often near streams or water. Requires moist soil. Often encountered underneath surface objects in open grassy areas near forests, especially on sunny days after rain. Can also be found in piles of gravel. From sea level to 6,600 ft.

Taxonomic Notes

The snake traditionally known as Contia tenuis might consist of two species which are almost identical in appearance. The new species is a long-tailed form recently discovered by Richard Hoyer with DNA evidence presented by Feldman and Spicer in 2002. (Journal of Herpetology 36(4): 648-655).This second species has not yet been formally recognized pending further research. The ranges of these species overlap along the northern California coast. The long-tailed species appears to prefer cool, humid, coniferous forests along the north coast.

You can read more about this new species here, and here.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None.

Taxonomy
Family	Colubridae	Colubrids
Genus	Contia	Sharp-tailed Snakes
Species	tenuis	Sharp-tailed Snake
Original Description
Contia tenuis - (Baird and Girard, 1852) - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 6, p. 176 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Contia - honors Le Conte, John L. tenuis - Latin - thin, narrow, slender - "body slender" from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
None
Related or Similar California Snakes
T. planiceps - Western Black-headed Snake Diadophis punctatus - Ring-necked Snake
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. , & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000. 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. Brown et. al. Reptiles of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society,1995. Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983. St. John, Alan D. Reptiles of the Northwest: Alaska to California; Rockies to the Coast. Lone Pine Publishing, 2002.

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