Reptile Archives - El Mesteño Ranch and Arboretum

Coachwhip Snake ~ A Texas Native

Camille — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 15:16:31 +0000

This long, slender, non-venomous Coachwhip, a Texas native snake, stopped by the other day for a nice visit. It was basking in the sun near an old, repurposed hay cart that had been adorned with pieces of dead, dried Black Brush tree branches in order to support two different varieties of native Passion Flower vine.

This slender snake, with a small head and large eyes, lay motionless. Its concealment was incredible; it very closely resembled the dead, dried Black Brush tree branches that it was lying near at the time. It took a moment for my brain to process exactly what I was looking at. When I finally realized that I was staring at a snake, I was quite startled! I must have jumped back about five feet! Very quickly, however, my “fear” reaction shifted to one of curiosity, wonder, and amazement at its beauty.

Naturally, I wanted to document this lovely creature with a portrait, but where was my camera when I needed it?

I made a mad dash a few yards back to my truck to grab my camera in order to try and snap of few pics of its cute little face before it decided to move along to another location. Luckily, for me, it was in no hurry to high tail it out of there. I was able to photograph its head and the interesting upward arch of the first sections of its vertebrae as it appears to hold its head up in a telescoping fashion. Additional, interesting notes about this snake are that they are noted to be agile and quick. I have even read that they hunt rattlesnakes!

If you would like more in-depth information on Coachwhips and other snakes that are native to Texas, sources for this information are plentiful. Nonetheless, one of the books that I keep close by for quick reference is, “Texas Snakes: A Field Guide,” by James R. Dixon and John E. Werler. Drawings by Regina Levoy. University of Texas Press. Austin, Texas. 2000.

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“Crop circles” at El Mesteño Ranch?

Michael — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 03:34:12 +0000

Well, more than likely it’s just part of the Texas Tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri) super-highway.

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Texas Spiny Lizard

Michael — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 22:34:14 +0000

(Sceloporus olivaceus)

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Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Michael — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 14:22:16 +0000

(Crotalus atrox)
This is typically how this common Texas native is encountered. While this one is right out in the open, you can still see how their patterning and color helps them blend into the background.

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Texas Tortoise

Michael — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 13:46:28 +0000

(Gopherus berlandieri)

One of the most threatened reptiles in Texas, the Texas Tortoise is also one of the most interesting. These ancient critters make their home in the Texas thorn thicket and feed on various types of vegetation- especially the Prickly Pear cactus. Unfortunately, being a very slow moving animal, many are killed on roadways each year and are subjected to loss of habitat as much of the land in south Texas is cleared for agriculture or other less tortoise friendly purposes.
Look in the gallery to see a few more pics of these armored reptiles.

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Snake Track

Michael — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 04:33:36 +0000

A warm climate for the better part of the year in south Texas affords us the ability see tracks like this very frequently. While there are several other species of snakes that make their home in the thorn thicket, this track is likely left by the most common snake- a poisonous viper called the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox).

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