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The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

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Natural History

Black-headed* Snakes of the genus Tantilla

by Tom Eichhorst

[CHS Editor's note: T. nigriceps is found on Colorado's eastern plain (including Denver metro), and T. hobartsmithi is found in the western valleys.]

In general, they are light colored, from light brown to beige to an almost white, with a black cap on the head, and many with a ventral stripe of red, orange, or pink. They are rear-fanged (actually grooved teeth in the back of the jaw) and probably have a mild poison to help immobilize their favorite prey -- centipedes. They are also known to eat a variety of other insects and arthropods, and are in turn preyed upon by the coral snake, as they share much of the same territory. They present no danger to man, as their small size and timid nature all but eliminate any chance for a bite.

Although very mild mannered and tractable, this is not a good candidate for captive husbandry. They have been kept in captivity, but their specialized feeding habits and small size make it a task for an expert reptile keeper. The cage should have a heat gradient and some means of allowing the snake to burrow in a moist area. This can be accomplished with sphagnum moss under a piece of plastic or wood. The moss must be kept damp, but if the entire cage becomes damp, the snake is likely to succumb to a skin infection. Food should consist of centipedes if at all possible, although there are reports of Tantilla eating waxworms and mealworms in captivity. The small size of the snake and the nature of their prey means they must be fed more often than snakes feeding on mice (at least once a week). Our own Ted Brown has successfully kept this snake, and I am sure would be the first to tell anyone they have very special requirements. This is one to observe in its habitat and leave there.

*   The common name "black-headed snake" is used here after Degenhardt (1996) and Connant (1958), rather than the name "blackhead snake" used by Collins & Connant (1991).

The material for this article came primarily from:
Degenhardt, William g., Painter, Charles W., and Price, Andrew H. 1996 Amphibians & Reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Mehrtens, John M. 1987 Living Snakes of the World. Sterling Publishing Co., New York.
Rossi, John V., and Rossi, Roxanne. 1995. Snakes of the United States and Canada: Keeping Them Healthy in Captivity, Vol 2, Western area. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, FL.