The Night Snake is a species of colubrid snake that is native to the Western parts of the United States and Mexico. They can also be found in a small part of Canada.
This species is actually mildly venomous. However, the venom is very mild and the fangs are located in the back of the snake’s mouth, so it is difficult for them to inject much venom.
Night Snake Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Night Snake belongs to the Colubridae or Colubrid family of snakes. This is the largest family of Snakes in the world consisting of many popular species such as Pine Snakes and Milk Snakes.
With around 250 different genera of Colubrids, these snakes can be found on every continent except Antarctica which also makes them the most widely distributed family of snake in the world.
The vast majority of Colubrid snakes are non-venomous, or at least contain a venom that isn’t considered to be medically significant to humans.
However, there are a number of species of Colubrid snakes that contain venom capable of killing humans. This includes species from the Boiga and Rhabdophis genera as well as other snakes such as the Boomslang.
Genus
The genus that the Night Snake belongs to is called Hypsiglena and there are currently 9 recognised species in the genus as well as a number of sub-species.
The species in the Hypsiglena genus are commonly referred to as Night Snakes. This can cause a bit of confusion as the species we are referring to is also known simply as the Night Snake.
However, the other species in the genus have more precise names to distinguish them such as the Coast Night Snake and the Desert Night Snake.
Species
The scientific name for the species we are referring to is Hypsiglena torquata and there are currently no recognised sub-species.
The species was first described in 1860 by a German born English herpetologist named Albert Günther.
Many of the other species and sub-species of Night Snake were categorised as sub-species of Hypsiglena torquata but have since been upgraded to full species status or placed as a sub-species of one of these newly classified species.
Night Snake Description
The Night Snake is a small species of colubrid snake that typically only grows to around two feet in length.
The snake is light brown, tan or grey in color with darker brown blotches or markings running along the length of their bodies.
The head of the snake is dark brown in color while the neck contains the darkest color blotches, separating the head coloration from the lighter colored body.
These snakes have bronze-colored eyes and vertical pupils to help them to see better in the dark as they are a nocturnal species.
The belly of the snake has a pearly white coloration and can have an iridescent look to it under the right light.
These snakes have fangs in the back of their mouth which are capable of injecting venom into prey.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Night Snake can be found as far North as the Southern parts of British Columbia in Canada.
There range extends through much of the Western parts of the United States where they can be found in States such as Washington, Oregon and California.
Further inland, they can be found in places such as Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Western Colorado and New Mexico.
In Mexico, the Night Snake can be found from the State of Sinaloa in the North, right down to Guerrero towards the South.
These snakes can be found in a variety of different habitats including woodlands, savannahs, rocky areas and brushland.
They can also be found in human occupied areas such as cropland and other types of farmlands where food sources are plentiful.
Night Snake Behavior
The Night Snake is a nocturnal species meaning they are primarily active during the night and sleep during the day.
They could also be considered to be crepuscular. This means that they are mostly active during the hours of sunrise and sunset as they often become active during this time also.
During the hours of daylight, these snakes will hide away in underground burrows or in the crevices of rocks.
Multiple Night Snakes can sometimes be found in close proximity. However, outside of breeding season they are solitary animals.
Their close proximity to other specimens is likely just multiple snakes sharing the same suitable resources such as good burrowing spots or a place with plenty of food.
