| 1 | Long-nosed snake |
Maximum length: 104.1cm.
Snakes are often divided into the broad categories of venomous and constricting, but there’s also a swathe inbetween with miscellaneous tactics. The long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei) of northern Mexico and the southern US is one of several that simply pins their prey to underground tunnel walls.
This snake lives in semi-deserts, dry grassland, and especially dry shrubland, and is a burrow invader which winds through underground tunnels in search of small lizards and occasionally mammals to eat. They’re guided by scent, and either find the chamber where an exhausted lizard is sheltering, or get lucky and find one running around the wide tunnels.
The long-nosed snake then springs into feeding mode, reacting in milliseconds. They pounce on their prize, but rather than tightly constricting, they pin their prey to the wall, using all the force they can muster. The initial wall slam doesn’t necessarily kill the lizard or mouse, and there’s a strong chance they could wriggle free.
But if all goes to plan, the long-nosed snake will have its meal, without any venom, just pure acrobatic skill. It’s like venom is a modern invention which they have no patience for, and they’d rather just pin things down like the good old days.
Long-nosed snakes are harmless to humans, lacking even a mild venom. When confronted, they angle their red and black colours towards your face, to trick the unaware into thinking they’re coral snakes.
| 2 | Ladder snake |
Maximum length: 165cm.
The ladder snake is a 100-150cm species of Spain, which is moves slowly the vast majority of the time. This burrow invader is found in dry rural areas, and is often encountered by nature enthusiasts on hot country roads near dry stone walls.
Ladder snakes are non-venomous, but have a vicious bite when confronted by humans, and resist any attempt to pick them up. They mostly prey on mammals, accounting for 80% of their meals, with 5-15% of their calories coming from birds.
The ladder snake’s first hunting strategy is to fleck their tongues for mammal scents, venture underground, and ambush mice in their sleeping chambers. Their second strategy is to stalk a live mouse through underground tunnels, before pinning it to a wall when they get close enough. Ladder snakes are very accurate, and while there’s a chance that a mouse could wriggle free from their grip, they’d have to get very lucky.
Snakes may have no limbs, but they have surprisingly high control over each area of their long body, allowing them to pin creatures accurately. Although not confirmed (seeing as these underground battles are rarely observed), ladder snakes almost certainly gain skill with age. For example, spitting cobras are usually wild and inaccurate with their sprays as hatchlings, but gain precision after a few years.
| 3 | Grey beaked snake |
Maximum length: 1.6 metres.
This expert wall pinner lacks even a mild venom. Grey beaked snakes (Scaphiophis albopunctatus) are a species of open Ugandan woodlands and savannahs, which pose no threat to humans. When cornered, they usually loll out a dark black tongue, with the goal of intimidation.
Their diet consists of mice and rats, and to find their next meal, they’ll search far and wide, including in dark burrows. The grey beaked snake enters a subterranean world, guided by subtle scents, until the first small mammal finally comes into view. They then pin their prey to the wall, and swallow whole. This is a greedy species, as some grey beaked snakes have been found with 4 mice in their belly at once.
It’s extremely important for grey beaked snakes to pin their prey as soon as possible. A mouse’s best hope of survival is to use its agile reactions to dart to the side before the snake makes contact. It’s do or die, and they have just milliseconds to react.
Overall, Scaphiophis albopunctatus is a relatively poorly researched snake. Pinning mammals to burrow walls is one of the few facts we do know. The technical term that scientists use for this hunting strategy is “pinioning”.
| 4 | Gopher snake |
Maximum length: 267.7cm.
The gopher snake is one of the most shameless invaders of mammal burrows. They reside in the fields, woodlands and plains of the western USA, and are non-venomous, though quite vicious when they meet humans.
The gopher snake has a heavy taste for mammals, and will stop at nothing to ambush them. If that means searching through burrow networks, they won’t hesitate. Gopher snakes are constrictors, but their movements are restrained while underground. Therefore, if a gopher snake sees a mouse, it will instantly pin them to the burrow wall, holding them in place, with a move practised over many years, honed to razor efficiency.
To humans, basilisks are creatures of mythology, but to voles in a tunnel, every gopher snake probably looks as large as a basilisk. The only advantage small mammals have is knowing their burrows like the backs of their hands, and it’s possible that they have various side routes they can use to escape. Gopher snakes are found across the vast majority of the western USA, as well as Mexico and southern Canada.
| 5 | Woma python |
Maximum length: 2.7 metres.
The woma python, or simply woma, is a creature of the Australian outback, occurring in pockets all over the barren centre to Shark Bay on the west coast. They’re recognisable by faded striped patterns, a bulky head and large eyes, and are no danger to humans, unless you poke your finger into their mouth.
The woma python is rarely seen climbing trees. They prefer to travel downwards, entering the Earth’s crust through burrow entrances carved by rodents. When they find a loose mouse scurrying around them, they reveal why they’re part of the brutal side of nature: they seize the mouse, pin it to a wall, angle their mouth correctly, and swallow them whole. The woma python takes care to pin its prey very precisely, so that they don’t slip free.
Escape isn’t the only thing they have to worry about. Rats or mice can also attack, biting through a snake’s scales, gnawing on its body like a block of cheese. A woma python might fight through the stinging pain, determined to acquire its meal, but rodents are vicious enough to kill snakes if accurate. Many adult womas have visible scars from these gnawings, which last for the rest of their lives.
| 6 | Louisiana pinesnake |
Maximum length: 178cm.
Part of the same Pituophis group as the gopher snake. Louisiana pinesnakes also pin their prey to burrow walls, but this time, they’re highly targeted towards one prey: the pocket gopher.
Louisiana pinesnakes are highly endangered, and inhabit only a few countries in western Louisiana and extreme eastern Texas. They’re highly dependent on longleaf pine habitats, which are steadily shrinking except in protected pockets.
Louisiana pinesnakes love to invade burrows in these forests, disappearing into dark tunnels in pursuit of the gophers which forge them. Louisiana pinesnakes have a permanently hungry expression, and are more acrobatic than they look. When a gopher comes into view, they can defy expectations and pin it to a wall instantly.
Louisiana pinesnakes carefully maintain the pinning pressure until they unhinge their jaws and swallow. This species lacks any venom, not even a mildly venomous saliva, but instead, all their evolutionary focus has gone into muscular strength. The pocket gopher’s only hope is to dodge before the sudden coils arrive, and disappear down a side passage. Very few people meet the Louisiana pinesnake these days, as they have an official rating of “endangered” from the IUCN.
| 7 | Mandarin ratsnake |
Maximum length: 140cm.
A non-venomous snake native to southern China, where it enjoys truly spectacular views, or would do if it wasn’t so keen to invade underground burrows. Mandarin ratsnakes (Euprepiophis mandarinus) are rarely seen, as they mostly lurk in subterranean tunnels. Most individuals captured by humans still have particles of soil clinging to their scales. This species is timid in the presence of people, but shows no such fear amongst their underground mammal prey.
The Mandarin ratsnake likes to pin rodents hard to a tunnel wall, after crawling through the passageways slowly and undetected. They then take just seconds to rearrange and swallow, giving the mouse a tiny window to escape. As ever, they can spring into life extremely quickly, as though they’ve saved all their energy for this one pinning.
Like with other species, the underground battles of the Mandarin ratsnake aren’t well researched. For example, we have no idea whether a mouse can escape its doom with a wall kick, or even a backflip. This isn’t as crazy as it sounds – observe this video of a kangaroo rat escaping a sidewinder rattlesnake by kicking it in the head. One day, we could witness these battles properly, when cameras become tiny enough to be placed in mice burrows by scientists.
| 8 | Common kingsnake |
Maximum length: 208.3cm.
This ubiquitous eastern US snake has many hunting tactics: ambushing, chasing down, crushing constriction with several coils. However, it’s equally skilled in the primitive art of pinning a mouse very hard to a tunnel wall, and rearranging itself to swallow.
Common kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula) are non-venomous, and usually flee or vibrate their tail against leaves when they meet humans. They’re commonly hunted by birds on the surface, making burrows both a sanctuary and hunting ground. Common kingsnakes have super sensitive smell, to compensate for the darkness of tunnels. They possess a wiry strength, which belies their relatively thin bodies.
As a whole, kingsnakes are significantly stronger than US ratsnakes. This enables them to slam mammals down with a force which is extremely difficult to escape from. Particular favourites of the common kingsnake include Ord’s kangaroo rats and hispid cotton rats. This is a widespread species, mainly hugging the east coast, and ranging from the tip of Florida in the south to Philadelphia in the far north.
| 9 | Calabar burrowing python |
Maximum length: 103cm.
An evolutionary relic of a snake, which is the sole member of its family, and actually closer to the boas. Calabar burrowing pythons live in central western Africa, particularly Nigeria. This non-venomous snake searches actively for prey rather than ambushing, and this quest often leads them into burrows.
Calabar burrowing pythons have been observed eating Temminck’s mouse and the ubiquitous black rat, with mammals comprising 80% of their diet. The Calabar burrowing python disables its prey the hard way. Cobras have neurotoxins which can paralyse mice in seconds, but this leathery snake prefers primitive grab and pin strategies. It rams a mouse towards the tunnel wall, holding it down using all its scaly, sinewy strength.
The last thing the mouse sees will be a honeycomb pattern of gold and black scales. That is, unless a sudden instinct to live awakens inside them, and they dash to the side using superhuman speed. Calabar burrowing pythons are technically constrictors, but are relatively clumsy at it – hence these burrow pinning strategies.
| 10 | Middle American indigo snake |
Maximum length: 295cm.
A common snake which inhabits most of Central America, into far southern Texas. This species inhabits forest and field alike, anywhere with soft soils and burrows which it can invade.
The middle American indigo snake disregards venom, and sticks to the tried and tested strategy of pinning its prey to an underground burrow wall. Its diet is varied, with mammals making up the largest share, plus a side helping of rattlesnakes. They use similar methods to gopher snakes, pinning with a loose coil while angling their head round in order to swallow.
Drymarchon melanurus is non-aggressive towards humans, but to large rats, they’re a bogeyman. The Middle America indigo snake has very fast reactions for a creature that normally slithers at moderate speeds.
However, they’re not infallible, and things don’t always go according to plan. The snake might pin its prey slightly off centre, or the wall the rat is pinned to might be slightly uneven, allowing it to escape. Another unfortunate event could be when old scents lure them in, but the burrow is long vacated. It’s likely that the eastern indigo snake of Florida also uses these tunnel pinning strategies.