After ruling, advocates for the Tucson shovel-nosed snake want further research

A federal appeals court recently backed the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to keep the Tucson shovel-nosed snake off the endangered species list, despite advocates’ claims the Service misinterpreted key data, grouping the subspecies with other snakes that they argue are distinct.

The Center for Biological Diversity’s Endangered Species Director Noah Greenwald said there’s no way to get an accurate count on the snakes, which bury themselves in the sand and prefer flat areas near valley floors.

But heavy development between Phoenix and Tucson is threatening their habitat.

“Interstate 11 is proposed and under consideration, and would be a massive impact to the snakes’ remaining habitat,” said Greenwald.

With a natural diet that includes scorpions, he said the tough little subspecies has an even tougher road ahead.

“Unfortunately, there's not much that's protecting its habitat in the absence of the Endangered Species Act,” Greenwald said. “And we're in the position of having to wait for new genetic information, which will hopefully be forthcoming in the next couple years.”

“If the Endangered Species Act covered the subspecies,” he said, “It would spur surveys. We would know where they are. We would know how to protect them. Hopefully Interstate 11 wouldn't happen. But if it did, at least we'd be able to try and mitigate the impacts.”

Greenwald said legal challenges are exhausted, so the focus now is on funding further research.