Description:
Scientific name: Drymarchon melanurus
Life span: 20-30 years
The dorsal scales of this species are primarily shiny olive brown and turn black at the tail. Olive-tan and lighter olive-yellow dominate the underside. A vertical black cut right behind the jaw, a heavy diagonal dark slash on both sides of the neck, and prominent dark marks around the eyes are all features of D. melanurus. Although there may be lighter coloured varieties, the D. m. erebennus subspecies is typically all-black.
Native Region/Habitat
D. melanurus inhabits a region that stretches from southern Texas through Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, and the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Its range along the Pacific coast reaches as far south as Guatemala from Sinaloa in Mexico and as far north as Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Its elevation ranges from close to sea level to about 1,900 m asl.
Behavior:
The Blacktail Cribo is a highly aggressive eater. They do not restrict their prey, in contrast to many other Colubrids, Pythons, or Boas. Instead, they smash their prey with their strong jaws, frequently slamming the victim against the walls of the enclosure.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
Tank: Getting a big enough enclosure is the most expensive component of caring for a black-tailed cribo. As they can grow to a length of 6 to 8 feet, they require a lot of space to move around because they are active snakes.
Aim for an enclosure that is at least 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high and has a capacity of 180 gallons or more.
Temperature: A black-tailed cribo, like all cold-blooded creatures, is unable to control their own body temperature. The ideal basking temperature is between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit because of this. Instead of using a heating pad or heated rock, which can cook your animals from the inside out, use a heat lamp.
Feeding: A black-tailed cribo can consume a variety of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals in the wild, but in captivity, your snake can survive on nothing but mice and rats. Because live animals might harm or even kill your snake, you should only ever feed your black-tailed cribo with thawed or frozen mice or rats while using feeding tongs.
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