Central American Indigo Snake

D. melanurus is a large species that can grow to a total length (including tail) from 1.80 m (6 ft) to over 2.40 m (8 ft). This species has predominantly olive-brown, glossy dorsal scales changing to black at the tail. The underside is a lighter olive-yellow to olive-tan color. D. melanurus has distinctive dark markings around the eyes, with a vertical dark slash just behind the jaw and a heavy diagonal dark slash on both sides of the neck. The subspecies D. m. erebennus is predominantly solid black, though lighter-shaded variations occur.

The geographic range of D. melanurus extends from southern Texas southwards through the Gulf Coast of Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula, Guatemala, and Belize. On the Pacific Coast, its range extends from Sinaloa in Mexico, southward to Guatemala, as far south as Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It is found at elevations from near sea level up to around 1,900 m (6,230 feet) above mean sea level. The subspecies D. m. erebennus is found in South Texas and southwards into Mexico as far as Veracruz.