Western Black-headed Snake vs. Common Sharp-tailed Snake

Both are small reddish-brown snakes under rocks and logs; their records overlap in the central Coast Ranges and the Sierra foothills. A: A flat black cap in the Western Black-headed Snake; no black cap: the head brown like the back in the Common Sharp-tailed Snake. B: Plain tan or brown in the Western Black-headed Snake; a rusty or red stripe along each side in the Common Sharp-tailed Snake. The Sharp-tailed Snake has a sharp spine on the tail tip and a belly barred black and white.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Western Black-headed Snake vs. Ring-necked Snake
• Western Black-headed Snake vs. Forest Sharp-tailed Snake
• Western Black-headed Snake vs. Ground Snake
• Southwestern Blackhead Snake vs. Western Black-headed Snake
• Forest Sharp-tailed Snake vs. Common Sharp-tailed Snake
• Common Sharp-tailed Snake vs. Ring-necked Snake
• Southwestern Blackhead Snake vs. Common Sharp-tailed Snake

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