Texas Lyre Snake
Trimorphodon vilkinsonii
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colubrid Snakes)
- GenusTrimorphodon (Lyre Snakes)
- SpeciesTrimorphodon vilkinsonii (Texas Lyre Snake)
About the Texas Lyre Snake
The Texas lyre snake (Trimorphodon vilkinsonii) is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico. The epithet vilkinsonii is in honor of amateur American naturalist Edward Wilkinson, who collected the first specimen near the city of Chihuahua.
T. vilkinsonii is found in the United States in the Big Bend region of Texas and southern New Mexico, and in Mexico in northeastern Chihuahua. The preferred natural habitats of T. vilkinsonii are desert and rocky areas. The Texas lyre snake is a medium-sized snake, attaining a total length (including tail) of approximately 1 meter (39 inches) at adult size. It is brown, tan or gray with 17-24 dark brown blotches down the back. It has large eyes with vertical pupils. The common name, "lyre snake", refers to a distinctive V-shaped pattern on the head which resembles the shape of a lyre. However, this particular subspecies (T. b. vilkinsonii ) has no V mark on the head.
Lyre snakes of the genus Trimorphodon are nocturnal, spending most of their time... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Texas Lyre Snake in Big Bend National Park
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Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Texas Lyre Snake in Big Bend National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Texas Lyre Snake sighting in Big Bend National Park, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Texas Lyre Snake in Big Bend National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Texas Lyre Snake in Big Bend National Park in our monthly data.