GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
This snake lives from southwestern Mexico through much of Central America, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica.
HABITAT
Neotropical sunbeam snakes live in warm climates and a variety of forested areas, but not in the mountains. They also sometimes make their home along the beaches of the coastline. They are secretive animals that hide among rocks and leaves, beneath logs and/or under their bark, in below-ground holes, and even in ant nests.
NEOTROPICAL SUNBEAM SNAKES AND PEOPLE
This is not a typical pet species, probably because of its tendency to spend much of its time underground. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists this species as one that people cannot freely buy and sell.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species is not listed as endangered or threatened.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Books
Burnie, David, and Don Wilson, eds. The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. New York: DK Publishing, 2001.
Greene, H. W. Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
McDiarmid, R. W., J. A. Campbell, and T. Touré. Snake Species of the World. Vol. 1. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Washington, DC: The Herpetologists' League, 1999.
Savage, J. M. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
Wilson, L. D., and J. R. Meyer. The Snakes of Honduras. 2nd ed. Milwaukee: Milwaukee Public Museum, 1985.
Web sites
"New World Sunbeam Snake." Vida Preciosa International Inc. http://www.vpi.com/5VPIBreeders/NewWorldSunbeamSnake/NewWorldSunbeamSnake.htm (accessed on September 11, 2004).
"Mexican Burrowing Python, Loxocemus." Glasgow Zoopark. http://www.glasgowzoo.co.uk/articles/coldblooded/mexburrowingpyth.php (accessed on September 11, 2004).
"Mexican Burrowing Snake." Utah's Hogle Zoo. http://www.hoglezoo.org/animals/view.php?id=42 (accessed on September 11, 2004).
Other sources
"Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora." http://www.cites.org (accessed on September 9, 2004).
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