# List of snakes of Trinidad and Tobago

Forty-seven species of snake have been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago, making the snake population of this area the most diverse in the Caribbean. Forty-four of these snake species are found in Trinidad and twenty-one in Tobago. Many of these species are South American, most of which are present in Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and several smaller islands. The Bocas Islands, which lie between Trinidad and Venezuela, in the Bocas del Dragón (Dragon's Mouths), consist of Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos and Gaspar Grande. Several smaller islands lie off Trinidad, but snakes have been recorded on only one of them, Caledonia Island. Snakes have been recorded on one island off Tobago, Little Tobago. Four species are venomous: two coral snake species (Micrurus spp.), the fer-de-lance (Bothrops atrox) and the South American bushmaster (Lachesis muta). The common coral (Micrurus fulvius) is found on at least two of the Bocas Islands: Gaspar Grande and Monos. No venomous snakes inhabit Tobago.

## Anomalepididae

Anomalepididae is a family of nonvenomous snakes native to Central and South America. They are similar to Typhlopidae, except that some species possess a single tooth in the lower jaw. One possible species has been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago.
Anomalepididae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Helminthophis cf. flavoterminatus | Yellow-headed ground puppy; Trinidadian dawn blind snake | Yes | No | No | No |

## Leptotyphlopidae

Leptotyphlopidae is a family of snakes found in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. All are fossorial and adapted to burrowing, feeding on ants and termites. One species has been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago.
Leptotyphlopidae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Epictia tenella | Guyana blind snake | Yes | No | No | No |

## Typhlopidae

Typhlopidae is a family of blind snakes found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. Two species have been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago.
Typhlopidae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Amerotyphlops brongersmianus | Brongersma's worm snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Amerotyphlops trinitatus | Trinidad burrowing snake | Yes | Yes | No | No |

## Aniliidae

Aniliidae is a monotypic family created for the monotypic genus Anilius, which means that there is only one species in the entire family. This species is A. scytale, found in South America.
Aniliidae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Anilus scytale scytale | Burrowing false coral; rouleau | Yes | No | No | No |

## Boidae

Boidae is a family of non-venomous snakes found in America, Africa, Europe, Asia and some Pacific Islands, containing the boas. Four species have been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago.
Boidae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Boa constrictor constrictor | Macajuel, boa constrictor | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Corallus ruschenbergerii | Cascabel dormillon; Cook's tree boa | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Epicrates cenchria maurus | Rainbow boa | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Eunectes murinus gigas | Green anaconda | Yes | No | No | No |

## Family Colubridae

Colubridae is a family of snakes comprising about two thirds of all snake species on earth. Colubrid species are found on every continent, except Antarctica. Species from three subfamilies are found in Trinidad and Tobago.

### Subfamily Xenodontinae

Xenodontinae is a subfamily of snakes within the family Colubridae that includes mud snakes and New World hognose snakes.
Xenodontinae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Liophis cobellus cobellus | Mangrove snake, mangrove mapepire | Yes | No | No | No |
| Liophis melanotus nesos | Beh belle chemin, doctor snake | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Liophis reginae zweifeli | High woods coral | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Oxyrhopus petola petola | False coral | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Pseudoboa neuwiedii | Ratonel | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Siphlophis cervinus | Checkerbelly | Yes | No | No | No |
| Siphlophis compressus | Tropical flat snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Thamnodynastes ramonriveroi | Striped swamp snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Tripanurgos compressus | Mapepire de fe, false coral | Yes | No | No | No |

### Subfamily Dipsadinae

Dipsadinae is a subfamily of snakes within the family Colubridae that includes cat-eyed snakes, night snakes, and black-striped snakes.
Dipsadinae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Atractus fuliginosus | Hallowell's ground snake | No | Yes | No | No |
| Atractus trilineatus | Three-lined ground snake | Yes | Yes | ? | No |
| Atractus cf. univittatus | Tobago one-lined snake | No | Yes | No | No |
| Clelia clelia clelia | Black cribo, mussurana | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Dipsas variegata trinitatis | Snail-eating snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus aesculapii | False coral | Yes | No | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus bizona | False coral | Yes | No | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus cobella | Mangrove snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus melanotus | Black-backed snake | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus ocellatus | Tobago false coral, red snake | No | Yes | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus pseudoreginae | Tobago stream snake | No | Yes | No | No |
| Erythrolamprus zweifeli | Zweifel's ground snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Helicops angulatus | Water mapepire, brown-banded water snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Hydrops triangularis neglectus | Water coral | Yes | No | No | No |
| Imantodes cenchoa cenchoa | Mapepire corde violon, fiddle-string snake | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Leptodeira annulata ashmeadi | False mapepire, cat-eyed night snake | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ninia atrata | Red-nape snake, ring neck snake | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Ninia franciscoi | Trinidad coffeesnake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Sibon nebulata nebulata | Clouded snake | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |

### Subfamily Colubrinae

Colubrinae is the largest subfamily of colubrids, and includes rat snakes, king snakes, milk snakes, vine snakes and indigo snakes.
Colubrinae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Chironius carinatus carinatus | Machete savane, yellow machete | Yes | No | No | No |
| Chironius multiventris septentrionalis | Long-tailed machete savane | Yes | No | No | No |
| Chironius scurrulus | Smooth machete savane | Yes | No | No | No |
| Drymarchon corais corais | Yellow-tailed cribo | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Leptophis ahaetulla coeruleodorus | Lora, parrot snake | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Leptophis stimsoni | Grey lora | Yes | No | No | No |
| Mastigodryas amarali | Amaral's tropical racer | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Mastigodryas boddaerti boddaerti | Machete couesse | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mastigodryas boddaerti dunni | Machete couesse | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Oxybelis rutherfordi | Horsewhip | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Phrynonax polylepis | Olivaceous bird snake, cutlah | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pseustes poecilonotus polylepis | Dos cocorite | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pseustes sulphureus sulphureus | Yellow-bellied puffing snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Spilotes pullatus pullatus | Tigre, chicken snake | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Tantilla melanocephala | Black-headed snake | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |

## Family Elapidae

Elapidae is a family of venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Two species are found in Trinidad and Tobago.
Elapidae :
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Micrurus diutius | Trinidad ribbon coral snake | Yes | No | No | No |
| Micrurus circinalis | Large coral snake | Yes | No | Yes | No |

## Family Viperidae

Viperidae is a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except for Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Madagascar, Hawaii and the Arctic Circle. All have relatively long hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom. Two species are found in Trinidad and Tobago.
| Species | Common name | Trinidad | Tobago | Bocas Is. | Other |
| Bothrops atrox | Mapepire balsain, fer-de-lance | Yes | No | No | No |
| Lachesis muta muta | Mapepire zanana, mapepire z'ananas, bushmaster | Yes | No | No | No |