CaliforniaHerps.com

A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California


Common Sharp-tailed Snake - Contia tenuis

(Baird and Girard, 1852)
Click on a picture for a larger view
Sharp-tailed Snakes Range Map
Red: Range of this species in California
Contia tenuis - Common Sharp-tailed Snake

Orange: Range of Contia longicauda -
Forest Sharp-tailed Snake
 

Dark Blue
: Area that might contain both species


Click on the map for a topographical view

Map with California County Names







observation link





Sharp-tailed Snake
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Adult, Butte County Adult, Butte County Adult, coiled into a defensive position that hides its head, Contra Costa County Adult, Yuba County
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
     Adult, Placer County   Adult, Contra Costa County
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
  Adult, Placer County   Adult, Contra Costa County
Common Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
The underside is pale with black markings on the edge of each scale. Underside of adult, Santa Clara County Adult, Lake County
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Adult, Monterey County
© Patrick Briggs
Adult, San Mateo County
© Rory Doolin
Adult, Alameda County
© David Kositchek
Adult, Lake County. © Nancy Mittasch
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Adult, Carmel Valley, Monterey County
© Huck Triggs
Adult, Carmel Valley, Monterey County
© Huck Triggs
Adult, Sierra Nevada Mountains,
Fresno County © Mike Pecora
Adult, Sierra Nevada Mountains,
Fresno County © Patrick Briggs
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Adult in habitat, Alameda County
© Jared Heald
Adult, San Luis Obispo County
© Margi Bauer
Adult, Sonoma County  © Jared Heald Adult, Shasta County © Randy Rice
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snake
Adult with pale markings,
Sonoma County © Ric DelMar
Typical and pinkish-orange morphs
© Rodney Lacey, who finds both morphs together in Butte County.
Often several Sharp-tailed Snakes are found underneath the same cover object, in this case a large board in San Mateo County. © Rory Doolin
Four snakes (coiled up in defensive positions) found together after a December rainstorm in Alameda County
© Jared Heald
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snake
Adult San Luis Obispo County © Ryan Sikola Adult, Lake County Top of adult head close-up, San Luis Obispo County Ryan Sikola
       
A sharp point at the tip of the tail gives this snake its name.
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snakes
Adult, Lake County Adult, Kittitas County, Washington Adult, San Luis Obispo County
© Margi Bauer
Tiny juvenile, Madera County
© Ryan Sikola
       
Juveniles
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Juvenile, Butte County Two juveniles found under a rock in Contra Costa County Juvenile, Contra Costa County
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Juvenile, Sacramento County © Dona Walker Juvenile, about 4 inches in length, Monterey County © Katie Zarn. Juvenile, Fresno County
© Patrick Briggs
Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Juvenile, Stanislaus County
© Noah Morales
Tiny juvenile, Shasta County Juvenile, from near San Rafael, Marin County © Deborah LaFleur Juvenile, Alameda County
© Amie Rashé Conrad
Common Sharp-tailed snakes are often found in suburban northern California yards and gardens while raking or turning over surface objects, especially on sunny days after rain in the Winter and Spring.
Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snakes Sharp-tailed Snakes
Tiny juvenile, Madera County © Ryan Sikola
Sharp-tailed Snakes      
Hatchling, 2100' elevation
Tuolumne County © Adam Gitmed
     
       
Aberrant Common Sharp-tailed Snakes
Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake Sharp-tailed Snake
Unusually-colored juvenile from Butte County, probably hypomelanistic or amelanistic.   © Jackson Shedd These two hypomelanistic juveniles with red eyes were found while raking leaves in Butte County © Mike Thiede & Jon Thiede
       
Habitat
Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat
Riparian mixed woodland/grassland habitat, Contra Costa County Mixed woodland/grassland habitat beside reservoir, Contra Costa County Habitat, Butte County Habitat, rocky grassy hillside,
Contra Costa County
Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat  
Habitat, next to small creek, Lake County
Riparian mixed woodland/grassland habitat, Contra Costa County
Habitat, Placer County  
       
Comparisons of the Two Species of Sharp-tailed Snakes (Contia)

Below:
C. longicauda from Santa Cruz County
C. tenuis
from Santa Clara County.

Sharp-tailed Snakes Comparison Sharp-tailed Snakes Comparison Sharp-tailed Snakes Comparison  
C. tenuis on right

C. longicauda on left
(In shed with duller than usual coloring)
C. tenuis on the left

C. longicauda on the right

C. longicauda has a longer tail
with more subcaudal scales that
lack black crossbars

C. tenuis on bottom

C. longicauda on top

C. tenuis has wider dark crossbars on the ventral scales
 
Identifying the Species

Subcaudal scale count and tail length

The easiest way to differentiate the two species in the field is to look at the subcaudal scales and the tail length.
(Subcaudal scales are the scales on the tail behind the cloaca.)

C. longicauda
has a longer tail with more subcaudal scales than C. tenuis.
C. longicauda
has from 43 to 58 subcaudal scales.

C. tenuis
has from 42 to 43 subcaudal scales.

The tail of C. longicauda averages 20 percent of the total length of the snake.
The tail of C. tenuis averages 14.5 percent of the total length.


Width of the dark crossbars on the ventral scales

C. longicauda has narrow black crossbars marking the anterior portion of the ventral scales, covering only
1/3 to 1/4 of each ventral scale. The black crossbars are usually absent from the subcaudal scales.

C. tenuis has wider black crossbars on the anterior part of the ventral scales, covering
1/2 to 1/3 of each ventral scale.The black crossbars usually extend onto the subcaudal scales.


C. longicaudae is also larger overall and there are subtle differences in dorsal and ventral coloration and pigmentation, but these probably won't help in identification.

Check the range map - there is little range overlap.

(From Feldman and Hoyer, 2010)

 
Short Video
  Sharp-tailed snakes
  Sharp-tailed snakes found under trash in April in Placer County.    
     
Description

Not Dangerous - This snake does not have venom that can cause death or serious illness or injury in most humans.

Commonly described as "harmless" or "not poisonous" to indicate that its bite is not dangerous, but "not venomous" is more accurate. (A poisonous snake can hurt you if you eat it. A venomous snake can hurt you if it bites you.)

Size
Adults average 8 - 12 inches in total length (20.3 - 30.5 cm), with some nearly 18 inches long (45.7 cm).
Hatchlings are about 3 inches long (7.6 cm).

Appearance
A small thin snake with a small head and a sharp point on the end of the tail.
Color and Pattern
The head of an adult is typically medium to light olive-gray or brown with black flecking or blotches, occasionally with orange blotches.
Dorsal coloration is rusty, brick-red, or orange-red.
Most adults have either faint or distinctly-colored brick-red or orange-red dorsolateral stripes extending from the head along the front third of the body where they blend into the body color.
Occasionally the reddish coloration and dorsolateral stripes are not present.
Irregular black bands mark the ventral side.
The underside is pale with a black mark across the edge of each scale. The black marks becoming faint or absent towards the tail, and absent from the anal plate and the caudal scales.
Young
Juveniles typically have brighter dorsal coloration than adults.

Life History and Behavior

Activity
Sharp-tailed snakes tend to be found most often on sunny days during the rainy season resting under objects in open areas such as boards, rocks, wood debris, gravel piles, or leaf litter.

Secretive, spends much time under surface objects or underground.
A good burrower.
Prefers moist environments.
Active when the ground is damp, occasionally during or after rains, and sometimes when surface temperatures are as low as 50 degrees.
Long teeth allow the snake to hold on to its slippery prey.
Diet and Feeding
Feeds on slugs and their eggs and on slender salamanders.
Reproduction
Females are oviparous, laying eggs in June or July.
Hatchlings emerge in mid-autumn.

Habitat
Found in well-shaded moist forest habitats dominated by Douglas fir and redwoods. Also found in mixed woodlands with oaks and conifers.

This snake is also seen in human habitats including garages, yards and gardens, where it is usually found under surface objects or leaf litter, often when someone is gardening. They have also been found in water after falling in a pool and a hot tub. The small size of this snake also allows it to enter human houses where it probably has trouble finding its way back out. (I regularly receive pictures of them from people wondering what kind of snake they found in their house, and why.)

Geographical Range
The Common Sharp-tailed Snake 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.

My range map shows a large gap in the range in Fresno county which is based on the records used in Feldman and Hoyer, 2010. Their research also showed some genetic differences between the southern population and snakes to the north in the Sierra Nevada.


Comparison of range and habitat with the Forest Sharp-tailed Snake - Contia longicauda

There does not appear to be much overlap in range between C. tenuis and C. longicauda, and they have not yet been found at the same location, but the two species come into close proximity in California in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, and in Southwestern Oregon. (I have indicated in purple on the range map one area in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties where their distribution may overlap. There could also be other areas of overlap in California, including San Mateo county and the border of Humboldt and Trinity counties.) They appear to be segregated by habitat type in these areas. C. longicauda typically occurs in moist well-forested areas, while C. tenuis occurs in somewhat drier, more open habitats of grassland, mixed woodland, and occasionally chaparral.

Full Species Range Map
Notes on Taxonomy
The long-recognized Sharp-tailed Snake, Contia tenuis, was found to consist of two species which are almost identical in appearance - Contia tenuis, and a new species, Contia longicauda, which went unnoticed for a long time because of its similarities to Contia tenuis and because of its small size, fossorial and secretive nature, and seasonally-limited period of activity. C. longicauda was discovered by Richard Hoyer based on differences in size, scale counts, and habitat preference. DNA evidence was presented by Feldman and Spicer in 2002. (Journal of Herpetology 36(4): 648-655). A formal description of the new species was published in 2010:

Chris R. Feldman, Richard F. Hoyer A New Species of Snake in the Genus Contia (Squamata: Colubridae) from California and Oregon. Copeia May 2010, Vol. 2010, No. 2 : pp. 254-267.



Diversity in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains

Another unique lineage of Contia appears to exist in Tulare County in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains: Contia in that area show some morphological differrences from the average C. tenuis; they are geographically isolated; and they have been found in groves of sequoias, at elevations and habitat not typical for C. tenuis. More specimens need to be examined in order to fully understand the evolutional divergence of these snakes from C. tenuis.

Feldman and Hoyer also found some variation within Contia tenuis:
"Our data also reveal additional structure within C. tenuis; populations from the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains form an incipient lineage that warrants further investigation."


Alternate and Previous Names (Synonyms)

Contia tenuis - Common Sharp-tailed Snake (Stebbins & McGinnis 2012)
Contia tenuis - Sharp-tailed Snake (Stebbins 1954, 1966, 1985, 2003)
Gentle Brown Snake; Oregon Worm Snake; Pacific Brown Snake; Pacific Ground Snake (Wright & Wright 1957)
Contia mitis - Sharp-tailed Snake (Ablabes purpureocauda; Homalosoma mite. Purple-tailed Snake; Pacific Ground Snake; Brown Snake; Gentle Brown Snake) (Grinnell and Camp 1917)
Contia tenuis - Sharp-tailed Snake (Van Denburgh 1897)
Purple-tailed Snake (Yarrow 1882)

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.

Conservation Issues  (Conservation Status)
None
Taxonomy
Family Colubridae Colubrids Oppel, 1811
Genus Contia Sharp-tailed Snakes Baird and Girard, 1853
Species

tenuis Common Sharp-tailed Snake (Baird and Girard, 1852)
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
Contia longicauda - Forest Sharp-tailed Snake

More Information and References
California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M.  Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012.

Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972.

Flaxington, William C. Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Field Observations, Distribution, and Natural History. Fieldnotes Press, Anaheim, California, 2021.

Samuel M. McGinnis and Robert C. Stebbins. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians. 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018.

Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.

Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.

Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998.

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, 1957.

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. 2nd Edition - Revised & Updated. Lone Pine Publishing, 2021.

Chris R. Feldman, Richard F. Hoyer A New Species of Snake in the Genus Contia (Squamata: Colubridae) from California and Oregon. Copeia May 2010, Vol. 2010, No. 2 : pp. 254-267.

Joseph Grinnell and Charles Lewis Camp. A Distributional List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of California. University of California Publications in Zoology Vol. 17, No. 10, pp. 127-208. July 11, 1917.

Conservation Status

The following conservation status listings for this animal are taken from the January 2024 State of California Special Animals List and the January 2024 Federally Listed Endangered and Threatened Animals of California list (unless indicated otherwise below.) Both lists are produced by multiple agencies every year, and sometimes more than once per year, so the conservation status listing information found below might not be from the most recent lists. To make sure you are seeing the most recent listings, go to this California Department of Fish and Wildlife web page where you can search for and download both lists:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals.

A detailed explanation of the meaning of the status listing symbols can be found at the beginning of the two lists. For quick reference, I have included them on my Special Status Information page.

If no status is listed here, the animal is not included on either list. This most likely indicates that there are no serious conservation concerns for the animal. To find out more about an animal's status you can also go to the NatureServe and IUCN websites to check their rankings.

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  Notes
NatureServe Global Ranking
NatureServe State Ranking
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA) None
California Department of Fish and Wildlife None
Bureau of Land Management None
USDA Forest Service None
IUCN

 

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