Dipsadidae
Common Sharp-tailed Snake
Contia tenuis
A closer look
Common Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis) is native to California, Oregon, and Washington. This nonvenomous native snake is most often associated with leaf litter, loose soil, woodland, scrub, or fields and typically feeds on earthworms, slugs, amphibians, lizards, or small prey.
- Habitat
- Leaf litter, loose soil, woodland, scrub, or fields
- On the menu
- Earthworms, slugs, amphibians, lizards, or small prey
- Behavior
- A mostly secretive ground hunter that spends much of its time under cover.
Not considered venomous to people. Observe without handling, and never corner or relocate a wild snake.
Safety & bite guidance ↗Where it is listed
A sense of place.
Checklist presence only. A highlighted state is not a local range boundary. Territory tiles are schematic.
State & territory checklist
About continuous range data
A verified habitat-model layer is not available for this species in this release. Earlier broad sketches connected jurisdiction locations; they did not show measured occurrence or USGS habitat predictions.
Use USGS distribution resources ↗ for available modeled habitat data.
Names, sources & image evidence
Also known as: No additional names recorded.
Taxonomy: provisional. Territory checklist entries may be provisional. Field descriptions include broad group-level natural-history summaries.
Research Grade iNaturalist observation 3181 has exact taxon Contia tenuis
Conservation & local rules
Collection, possession, relocation, and protection rules vary by state and territory. Check the relevant wildlife agency before taking action. Leave wild snakes where they are.