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Masticophis flagellum
The coachwhip is a long, slender snake. It gets its name from its resemblance to the whip used by stagecoach drivers. It is variable in color throughout its range, but individuals at Saguaro National Park are usually almost completely black. An extremely fast moving snake, the coachwhip quickly seizes its prey and swallows it live. If caught, a coachwhip will become aggressive and may bite repeatedly until released. (From the Saguaro National Park website.)
I spotted this snake only a few feet away from the Science Tent at the Saquaro National Park BioBlitz. It was stalking a lizard.
Spotted on Oct 22, 2011
Submitted on Oct 22, 2011
4 Comments
This is a beautiful snake!! Please be sure to add this to the Snakes of the United States – CSC mission to help with their citizen science project! http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1202...
Love the color of the eye with the black skin! Very cool! Consider adding your spotting to the Snakes of the Southwest Mission: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1249...
Cool spotting David!
Lovely snake. If you read my post, you probably can tell I'm partial to the snakes of the AZ desert.