Mountain Centipede Snake
CR

Mountain Centipede Snake

Tantilla insulamontana

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantilla_insulamontana

Overview

Tantilla insulamontana, the mountain centipede snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. The snake is found only in Ecuador. It is known as a critically endangered species but new data suggests there are improvements and they may now be considered endangered.

Tantilla insulamontana faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development on its limited island range. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, with deforestation and land conversion eliminating critical forest habitat. Climate change poses additional risks through altered precipitation patterns and temperature regimes that could affect the species' specialized ecological requirements.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits montane forest environments on isolated islands, typically found in leaf litter and soil layers of humid tropical forests. It occupies a highly restricted elevational range within specialized microhabitats that provide the moisture and temperature conditions essential for its survival.

Forest· majorShrubland· majorWetlands (inland) - Permanent rivers/streams· majorDesert· major

Conservation measures underway

Species recovery

Other threatened species in COLUBRIDAE

Bourret's Cat SnakeEN

Bourret's Cat Snake

Boiga bourreti

Unknown
VU

Cave Racer

Elaphe taeniura

Declining
EN

Oligodon calamarius

Declining
EN

Sumba Ground Snake

Stegonotus sutteri

Unknown

Threatened in Ecuador

EN

Puya fastuosa

Unknown
VU

Diospyros esmereg

Declining
VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

Declining
EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Mountain Centipede Snake classified as Critically Endangered?
Mountain Centipede Snake is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Tantilla insulamontana faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development on its limited island range. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, with deforestation and land conversion eliminating critical forest habitat. Climate change poses additional risks through altered precipitation patterns and temperature regimes that could affect the species' specialized ecological requirements.
Where does Mountain Centipede Snake live?
Mountain Centipede Snake occurs in Ecuador. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Mountain Centipede Snake?
The main threats to Mountain Centipede Snake are 2.1, 2.3, 5.3, and 5.4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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