Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 32, Number 5;   May, 2005

Fade Into Glossy

by Frank Menser, Sawgrass Herp Society

Arizona elegans: dry land elegant, better known as the Glossy or Faded Snake, is a study in what should have been. It is abundant, fair sized, (to 55"), personable & even attractive (in an elegant sort of way). By all rights, it should have achieved the popularity of its second cousin, the Bull Snake. But alas... that was not to be. People said it was common. Others said it was difficult to keep. So this elegant, personable little serpent faded from the spotlight, in favor of its more boisterous and aggressive relatives.

When thinking Glossy, picture a rather stocky brown-blotched serpent with smooth, rather than keeled, scales (kind of a Bull Snake without the rough edges). Often the saddles are not as bold as those found on the Bull. The veneer is plain white. The wedge shaped head is distinctive. This Midwest to Western species has the strong rostral and receded jaw of the typical burrower.

A peculiarity found in Glossys is the oval shaped (rather than round) pupils of their eyes, which is a feature normally found in venomous' snakes. The Glossy Snake is part of the Rat-King-Bull complex which (according to research by Dr. Fry and others) constitute the only known family of Colubrids that lack venom glands.

At one time, there were several "questionable" subspecies of glossy. Some of these names may no longer be considered valid. These were:

• A. e. arenicola*
• A. e. elegans*
• A. e. blanchardi
• A. e. candida* (also known as A. ocidentalis candida)
• A. e. eburnata*
• A. e. noctovita
• A. e, occidentalis*
• A. e. phillipi*

(CHS editor's note: Hammerson (1999) recognizes A. e. elegans and not A. e. blanchardi in eastern Colorado, and A. e. philipi in western Colorado.)

For our purposes, we shall limit this article to the best known and universally accepted subspecies, Arizona e. elegans, commonly called the Kansas Glossy Snake. It is by far the most commonly encountered form of Glossy and the largest. It is found mainly in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and south into Mexico. Other forms continue west to California. When looking at Glossy lore, the main common denominator is sand. Glossys love dry sandy habitats. This is ideal for this species that loves to burrow in search of lizards, primarily racerunners and spiny lizards that are usually captured when asleep under the sand. Happily, it is not above lunching on the occasional small mouse or mole.

Keeping a Glossy is not difficult if you remember two very simple rules. The first is that Glossys are not fond of moisture. Never leave a permanent water bowl in their home (about once a week is fine). This is doubly important because they prefer a sandy substrate in their cage, in which they love to burrow (think Sand Boa).

The second rule is never offer large, food items to a Glossy. As stated earlier, they have a specialized head structure which results in a smaller jaw gape (like that found in Scarlet Snakes). Because of this, they do not have the swallowing capacity of a Rat Snake of the same size. Many Glossys that are reputed to be poor feeders are simply being offered food items that are too big. I have seen people offer a Glossy a meal that would choke a Boa, and then complain that it wouldn't feed.. Another problem is that juvenile (wild caught) Glossys are fixated on reptile prey. Whenever possible, captive born Glossys are a better choice.

Glossy Snakes exhibit a rather gentle curious nature. When handled, they can be a little twitchy at first (probably because they are uncomfortable with the feeling of being up in the air, which is a common reaction among burrowers). The good news is, they quickly adjust and tame easily. Even wild caught specimens rarely offer to bite.

`Since I originally wrote this article (several years ago), there have been advances in Glossy breeding, and some unusual anomalies in pattern and color are being bred by a select few. Yet still this elegant also ran has yet to make its impact on the reptile world. So if you are looking for that personable addition to your collection, you just might want to consider looking to your own Arizona elegans to give your home a little Gloss!