Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 32, Number 7;   July, 2005

Alien Venomous Snake Purportedly Found in Colorado

Allegedly, there have been two reported sightings of a dangerous and bad-tempered Mexican pit viper in southwest Colorado, apparently introduced in shipments of gas pipes that BP (a.k.a. British Petroleum, formerly Amoco) is reportedly bringing into the state from Mexico. In email circulating through the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forestry Service, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the snake has been tentatively identified as a Cantil, or Mexican Moccasin, either Agkistrodon bilineatus or a recently named species: A. taylori. THIS IS NOT A RATTLESNAKE, but a close relative of the Copperhead and Water Moccasin. However, its bite is much more dangerous than that of its U.S. cousins, and can cause high levels of necrosis resulting in amputation. Cantils are reported to be "extremely aggressive and will not hesitate to strike repeatedly (and chances are that it would not be a dry bite). Tail vibrating and a poignant musk omitted from the cloaca also accompanie each strike. These are not animals to trifle with. A bite is a serious medical emergency."

However, in an article dated July 6 in the Durango Herald, Dan Larson, director of public affairs for BP, is quoted as saying that BP buys all the gas-field pipe it uses in Southwest Colorado from domestic sources, that a BP employee in Farmington reports this cantil story surfaces about the same time every year, and that there are no known photos of cantils on BP locations.

Yet another article, this one by Denver Post Staff Writer Theo Stein, quotes Michael Preston, a University of Colorado English professor who studies folklore: "A story like this needs several elements to become a good urban legend, Preston said -- most importantly an element of believability. In this case, the suspected alien interloper, also called the ornate cantil, is indeed feared in its native range for its unpredictable strike and potent venom. Another important element is that it prompts fear or anxiety, Preston said. The cantil's alleged accomplice is a faceless multinational corporation profiting from the energy boom, which has generated local opposition."

The Cantil is described as black or liver brown with white pinstripe markings (A. bilineatus) or black with greenish-yellow crossbands, with some having dark mottling between the bands (A. taylori). It is a heavy-bodied snake, proportioned like a rattlesnake, and with the same triangular head, but with a pointed tail instead of rattles. It gives no warning before striking!

As the Cantil is a tropical species, and probably would not find Colorado's dry summers and cold winters particularly to its liking, it is not likely to ever become established here. However, if BP -- or anyone else -- actually does import pipes or other goods from Mexico, the threat of an encounter with one of these bad boys could really exist.