Glossy Snake

Arizona elegans is a medium-sized colubrid snake commonly referred to as the glossy snake. The genus Arizona has only one officially recognized species, A. elegans, with several subspecies. Some have recommended that A. elegans occidentalis be granted full species status.

Description
The glossy snake and its many subspecies are all similar in appearance to gopher snakes. However, they are smaller than gopher snakes, with narrow, pointed heads, and a variety of skin patterns and colors. They are nonvenomous, nocturnal predators of small mammals and lizards. Most subspecies are ca. 75-130 cm (ca. 30-50 inches) in length and are shades of tan, brown, and gray with spotted patterns on their smooth, glossy skin and a white or cream-colored unmarked ventral surface. Coloration often varies in relation to the color of the soil in a snake's native habitat.

Habitat

Habitat is normally semi-arid grasslands of the southwestern United States, from California in the west to Kansas in the east and as far south as Texas, and northern Mexico.

Reproduction

Glossy snakes are oviparous. They breed in the late spring and early summer and young hatch out in the early fall. Clutches average from 10 to 20 young that are approximately 25 cm long.


BEHAVIOR
This nocturnal ground-dweller is good burrower that spends the majority of its time underground. It hibernates in an underground burrow during the cold months of winter and late fall. When threatened or harassed it often vibrates its tail. It rarely bites when captured.

DIET 

The Glossy Snake is a constrictor that feeds on small mammals, lizards, snakes, and birds.




SUBSPECIES FOUND IN AZ:
DESERT GLOSSY SNAKE Arizona elegans eburnata. This subspecies is found in western and southwestern Arizona. It has a shorter tail relative to body size than the Painted Desert Glossy Snake.
ARIZONA GLOSSY SNAKE Arizona elegans noctivaga. This subspecies is found across most of south-central Arizona. It has a shorter tail relative to body size than the Painted Desert Glossy Snake.
PAINTED DESERT GLOSSY SNAKE Arizona elegans philipi. This subspecies is found in the plateau region of northeastern Arizona and in the far southeastern corner of the state. It has a longer tail relative to body size than the other subspecies found in Arizona.