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Federal court denies Tucson shovel-nosed snake a spot on endangered species list

Tucson shovel-nosed snake
USGS
Tucson shovel-nosed snake

A federal appeals court recently ruled that the Tucson shovel-nosed snake doesn’t qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act, a potential conclusion to the big debate one small reptile has stirred up.

Known for their distinctive red-and-black-patterned coloring, the snakes rarely grow bigger than about 17 inches long.

The Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned to list the Tucson shovel-nosed snake as endangered in 2004 and again in 2020. And in a 2022 lawsuit, the center claimed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s denial was based on misinterpreted data.

Studies have shown the snake shares similarities with its western shovel-nosed relative, leading some experts to question whether it should be its own, separate subspecies.

Late last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court upheld the Service’s original call, leaving the Tucson shovel-nosed snake without federal protection.

Other factors, like habitat loss and disease, weren’t enough to get it listed as endangered, either.

Kirsten Dorman is a field correspondent at KJZZ. Born and raised in New Jersey, Dorman fell in love with audio storytelling as a freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2019.
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