Colubrid Snake Family

Breeding:
Mates in spring. Clutches of  4-16 granular-surfaced eggs, 1-2 ¼ “ long, are deposited
June to July, hatch in 6-11 weeks. Young 13-16” long.

Habitat:
Dry, relatively open situation; pine and palmetto flatwood, rocky hillsides, grassland prairies, desert scrub, thorn forest, and chaparral; sea level to ca. 7,000’.

Range:
Se. North Carolina, sw. Tennessee, extreme sw. Illinois, extreme sw. Nebraska. E.
Colorado, nc. New México, sw. Utah, wc. And s. Nevada, and c. California, south
through Florida, Texas, and California to c. México.

Subspecies:
Eastern, head and neck area dark brown to black above, fading to light brown toward
read; se. North Carolina to s. Florida west to extreme sw. Tennessee and Mississippi
River in Louisiana, and se. Kansas and s. Missouri south through w. Louisiana and e.
Texas. Isolated populations in e. Tennessee and sc. Kentucky.
Sonora, long, dark, reddish-brown bands separated by shorted, paired pale pink bands, pr uniformly reddish-brown or black; sc. Arizona into México.
Baja California, 2 phases; yellow or light gray with zigzag pattern of black band along
body, or dark gray-brown above with lines pattern on sides; extreme s. California though Baja California.
Lined, light gray or tan, each dorsal scale on forepart of body has a dark streak down
center, underside of tail salmon pink; sw. New México into México.
Red, 2 phases; pink to red above with dark crossbands on neck and fore part of body, or black above and reddish near vent and under tail; wc. And s. Nevada and sw. Utah, south though California and w. and se. Arizona and ne. Baja California and nw. México. San Joaquin, light yellow to light-yellow above, without dark heard and dark neck bands; e. and s. California.
Western, light brown, olive, yellowish, or pinkish-red above, some with short dark
crossbands on neck, and wide crossbansd on forepart of body, double row of dark spots on belly; extreme sw. Nebraska, w. Colorado, w. Kansas, w. Oklahoma, e. New México through w. and c. Texas into México.

Perhaps our fastest snake. Prowls about during the day in sears of grasshoppers, cicadas, lizards, snakes and small rodents. When pursues, may take to a tree or disappear into a mammal burrow. If cornered, it coils, vibrates it tails, and strikes repeatedly – often at enemy’s face. Contrary to popular belief, it does not chase down an adversary and whip him to death. Record longevity is 16 years, 7 months.