Desert Striped Whipsnake, Masticophis (Coluber) t. taeniatus
Photographs immediately above and below
Percha Box, East of Hillsboro, NM - August 8, 2017
Native Range: Western United States & Northern Mexico
This species is often found near rocky streams (permanent/intermittent).
Diurnal, very fast, nonvenomous. Feeds on other reptiles/amphibians, mammals,
insects, birds…. First described by Edward Hallowell in 1852, as Leptophis taeniata.
Other Common English names included Striped Whipsnake, there are many scientific
synonyms, the prominent being Coluber t. taeniatus (Henry Sheldon Fitch, 1936), for this subspecies.
There are several subspecies of Masticophis some of which are considered full species
by The Reptile Database and other sources. The type specimen was taken in “New
Mexico, west of the Rio Grande”.
Immediately above and all below
Andrews
East of present-day Hillsboro, New Mexico, USA
