Reptiles
Ground Snake
Sonora semiannulata · also called ground snakes, variable ground snake
Two snakes turned up beneath the same desert rock, one a plain dusty gray, the other boldly banded in orange and black, and yet a closer look confirms both are ground snakes, members of a species that refuses to settle on a single look.
Overview
The ground snake, Sonora semiannulata, is a small, harmless, burrowing snake native to desert and grassland habitat across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its extraordinary colour variation, ranging from plain gray to bold coral-snake-like banding within a single species, makes it one of the more visually unpredictable reptiles in arid North America.
One species, countless looks
Few North American snakes vary as wildly in appearance as the ground snake, whose populations can be virtually unrecognisable from one another despite being the exact same species living just a short distance apart.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and common across suitable desert and grassland habitat throughout the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Ground Snake: common questions
Why does the ground snake look so different from one individual to the next?
A ground snake can appear plain gray or tan, faintly striped, or boldly banded in orange, red, or black, with all of these dramatically different patterns occurring within the same single species, making colouration a poor way to identify this species compared with checking its range and behaviour.
Is a ground snake dangerous to people?
No, the ground snake is completely harmless, has no venom of medical significance, and rarely even attempts to bite when picked up, relying instead on its small size and burrowing habits to avoid people altogether.
Could a ground snake be mistaken for a coral snake?
Yes, certain boldly banded ground snake populations show red-and-black patterning that can superficially resemble a venomous coral snake, a resemblance that may offer the harmless ground snake some degree of protective mimicry from predators that avoid coral snake patterning.
Where does the ground snake spend most of its time?
A ground snake spends much of its life burrowed into loose, sandy, or gravelly soil, emerging mainly at night or during cooler parts of the day to hunt spiders, centipedes, and insects.