About Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Adults of Spilotes pullatus can reach a maximum total length of 2.7 meters (8.9 feet). Dorsally, this species is black with yellow spots that may form crossbands. The snout tip is yellow, and head shields can be mostly yellow, mostly black, or crossbanded with a mix of yellow and black, though the sutures between the head shields are always black. Ventrally, the body is yellow with irregular black crossbands. The body is relatively slender and somewhat flattened from side to side. The head is distinct from the neck. The eye is moderate in size and has a round pupil. No subocular scales are present, and the loreal scale is either very small or completely absent. There are 6 or 7 upper labial scales; the third and fourth upper labials extend into the eye, while the last two are very large. The dorsal scales are pointed and overlapping, and are arranged in 16 (or sometimes 14) rows at midbody. There are 198 to 232 ventral scales, the anal plate is entire, and there are 90 to 120 divided subcaudal scales. Spilotes pullatus is distributed across southern Mexico, Central America, northern and central South America, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. It typically lives in forested areas and is often found near bodies of water.
