About Tantilla hobartsmithi Taylor, 1937
Tantilla hobartsmithi, commonly known as the southwestern blackhead snake, is a small species of snake. It reaches a maximum total length including the tail of 15 inches (38 cm), and most adults average around 8 inches (20 cm) in total length. Along its back, it is uniformly brown, with the exception of a black head that gives the snake its common name, plus a cream or white-colored neck collar. A broad reddish stripe runs lengthwise down the center of the belly along the ventral scales. This snake is distributed across the southwestern United States, where it occurs in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah. It can also be found in northern Mexico, in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora. Its preferred natural habitats are desert, grassland, shrubland, and forest, and it lives at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 1,981 m (6,499 ft). Tantilla hobartsmithi is oviparous. Females lay clutches of only one to three eggs, and egg-laying takes place in June, July, or August.
