Herp of the Day: Lystrophis pulcher

Here is one of my friend Amanda's Tricolored Hognose Snakes (Lystrophis pulcher) from South America. They start off when young with the standard red, black, and white banding pattern (like I mentioned in the previous Herp of the Day), but this species or at least these individuals have lost almost all color as they grew, leaving mostly glowing black. This one wasn't the bravest of snakes and continually hid his head from my oppressive camera.

My top hat is too big...

Here is a photo by Amanda of a young individual:


Here is another of Amanda's L. pulcher with a bit more color retained: