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Great Plains Ground Snake (29 May 2007) El Paso, Texas (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata) Beneficial. Non-poisonous; not aggressive; rarely bites even if handled roughly, and its small mouth and teeth cannot injure even sensitive skin; this species of snake preys on insects and other invertebrates and is, therefore, a good snake to have around. Photos and Report courtesy of Sean M.; Edited by Jerry Cates Sean wrote: Good afternoon, Jerry---I am curious if you might be able to identify this dead snake. I found it on the dock area at work in El Paso, Texas. Let me know if I can do anything else to help in your identification.
Sean did everything necessary to enable a full identification of this snake. He took a good photo, of the entire snake's dorsal body, and placed a common object of known dimensions nearby for measurement reference purposes. A photo of the ventral body (with the snake on its back) and a close-up of the dorsal, ventral and lateral head, would have been icing on the cake, but the photo he sent was enough to identify to species. With a snake whose markings are not so definitive, such additional photos can add crucial identification clues. Such close-ups, including a close-up of a section of the dorsal, lateral, and ventral mid-body--so a good count of the scale rows can be made--can even allow identification of difficult to distinguish subspecies within a complex grouping. The Great Plains ground snake (Sonora semiannulata semiannulata) is the only snake in Texas that exhibits the crossbanding shown on this specimen. At the same time, it should be noted that this species also shows great variation from one snake to another. That variation involves not only the number of crossbands, but the ground coloration, and the coloration of the crossbands themselves. In some of these snakes, the crossbands are missing entirely. In others, only about half as many crossbands are present. Ground coloration ranges from olive brown, to orange and red. Crossband coloration ranges from dark charcoal to light brown that is only slightly darker than the background. This is a small snake that rarely exceeds 12 inches in length, though specimens as long as 18 inches have been found. It is inoffensive in disposition, and offers no danger to man or his pets. It forages and feeds mostly at night, and is rarely seen in the daytime, when it rests under stones, cactus plants, or other convenient cover. It feeds on invertebrates, including a wide variety of insects, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, and similar organisms. It avoids scorpion stings, according to those who have watched it consume them, by seizing the scorpion by the tail, and thus disabling that appendage before proceeding with finishing off the rest of the meal. While entirely inoffensive to man, the male of this species is said to be quite the chauvinist when mating time comes around. A male, challenged by another male during active courtship, is apt to engage in extensive combat to maintain his supremacy. Though such acts of combat do not appear to lead to permanent damage to the combatants, they demonstrate an unexpected degree of courage and pugnacity for a snake of such overall gentle demeanor. Many thanks to Sean for this excellent photo. Sean travels throughout the desert area around El Paso, and expects to contribute additional photos of some of the reptilian fauna of the area before long.
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