Reptiles and Amphibians @mander.xyz Salamander @mander.xyz 2 mo. ago

Imantodes cenchoa

Found this Imantodes cenchoa sleeping on top of a leaf in Punta Laguna, Quintana Roo.

Here is a photo of where it was sleeping:

There are a few different snakes of the genus Imantodes in Yucatán. What sets this species apart is that the row of scales on its back consists of enlarged scales. Here is a closeup emphasizing that row of scales. The green arrow points at an enlarged mid-dorsal scale, the blue arrow at a regular scale.

In comparison, here is a photo from an Imantodes tenuissimus that I took back in 2009 in Mérida, Yucatán (with a less sharp camera), and a closeup of its mid-dorsal scales that does not show this enlargement.

Imantodes tenuissimus

8 comments

Definition of a danger noodle. So cute. Thanks for the images!
- A danger noodle to sleeping lizards! But to humans these are inoffensive :)
  
  She’s a little danger noodle, not a full blown nope rope. 😄
Gorgeous pics!
- Thanks :)
Ah! As someone with a phobia of snakes, nope nope nope nope nope.

But here's what I think is interesting: I'm actually more freaked out by it being tiny rather than less freaked out. I'd take a large python over this lil fella every day of the week. And I don't know why that's true! With spiders it's the opposite, the little ones are often downright cute and the big ones tend to be pretty unpleasant.
I love their eyes!

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