Sharp-tailed Snake

About the Sharp-tailed Snake

The sharp-tailed snake or sharptail snake (Contia tenuis) is a small species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia. Additional common names for C. tenuis include brown snake, gentle brown snake, Oregon worm snake, Pacific brown snake, Pacific ground snake, and purple-tailed snake.

C. tenuis is distributed through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as British Columbia, Canada: Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia around Victoria, British Columbia, in Pemberton, British Columbia and newly discovered in 2026 on Lasqueti Island, British Columbia.

The sharp-tailed snake has an average total length (including tail) of 12–18 in (30–46 cm) as an adult. It is distinguished by its sharp tail spine, which is the protruding tip of the last tail vertebra. The spine is not toxic and cannot injure humans. Rather, the tail is used to stabilize small prey, such as slugs, for consumption. The dorsal surface ranges in color from grayish brown to brown to brick red, with bubble-gum pink and peachy-orange specimens occasionally found... Wikipedia →