California Reptiles & Amphibians

Tantilla planiceps - Western Black-headed Snake



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Range in California

Dot-locality range map







Adult, San Diego County © Dick Bartlett
Adult, Ojai, Ventura County
© Michael Inaba
Adult, Riveside County © Brad Alexander
Adult, San Diego County
© Dan Kennedy
Adult, Alameda County © David Jahn
Adult, San Bernardino County © Jeff Teel
Adult, San Diego County
© Dan Kennedy
Adult, Ojai, Ventura County
© Michael Inaba
Adult, Riverside County © Brian Hinds
 
Adult, Orange County
© Mike Pecora
Adult, Los Angeles County, found active on the surface during daylight on a summer evening. © Trevor Yehle
 
Habitat, Alameda County


Habitat, San Diego County
Habitat, Riverside County
Description

Mildly Venomous
This snake uses a mild form of venom to immobilize its prey. This venom is considered harmless to humans.
Size
One of the smallest snakes in California, about 3.5 - 15.5 inches long (9 - 40 cm).
Appearance
A small, thin, snake with a flat head and smooth, shiny scales. The top of the head is dark brown or black, with a faint light collar between the dark cap and the body color which is brownish or beige and unmarked. This collar may or may not have a border of dark dots. The dark color usually drops below the mouthline behind the corner of the jaw.The belly is whitish with a reddish stripe that does not extend all the way to the edge of the ventral scales.
Behavior
Secretive -spends much of its time underground or underneath surface objects. A good burrower, able to disappear quickly into loose soil. Occasionally found active on the surface at night on roads, especially after rains.
Diet
Millipedes, centipedes, and insects.
Reproduction
Not well understood. Eggs are laid, probably in May and June.
Range
The known range of this snake in California and elsewhere is spotty due to its secretive nature. Its range is probably less disjointed than the records show. It occurs along the coast of southern California, east and north to the desert side of the mountains as far as Whitewater Canon, and north through the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay where it has been recorded just south of San Jose and east of Livermore. Occurs in disjointed locations in Baja California south to the cape. From near sea level to about 4,000 ft. (1,219 m).
Habitat
Occurs in grassland, chaparral, oak and oak-pine woodland, deserts. Along the rocky edges of streas and washes. Often found beneath rocks, plant debris, and other surface cover.
Conservation Issues  (Conservation Status)
None.

Taxonomy
Family Colubridae Colubrids
Genus Tantilla Black-headed Snakes
Species


planiceps Western Black-headed Snake
Original Description
Tantilla planiceps - (Blainville, 1835) - Nouv. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, Vol. 4, p. 294, pl. 27, figs. 3-3b

from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz

Meaning of the Scientific Name
Tantilla - Latin - tantillum - so small a thing - refers to the small size
planiceps
- Latin - planus flat and NL ceps head - refers to the flattened head

from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz

Alternate Names
California Black-headed Snake

Related or Similar California Snakes
T. hobartsmithi - Smith's Black-headed Snake
H. t. nuchalata - California Nightsnake
H. t. deserticola - Desert Nightsnake

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.

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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