Agkistrodon taylori is species of venomous snake, a pitviper (Crotalinae) found only in northeastern Mexico. The standardized names are Taylor's cantil (English)Liner, E. A. and G. Casas-Andreu. 2008. Standard Spanish, English and scientific names of the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico. Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular 38: i-iv, 1-162. (pages 95-96)Gloyd, Howard K. and Conant, Roger. 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex, A Monographic Review. Contributions to Herpetology, Number 6. Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. vi, 614 pp. and Metapil (Spanish), although it is sometimes called the ornate cantilPorras, Louis W., Larry D. Wilson , Gordon W. Schuett, and Randall S. Reiserer.2013. A taxonomic reevaluation and conservation assessment of the common cantil, Agkistrodon bilineatus (Squamata: Viperidae): a race against time. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation , 7 (1):48-73. as well as several other colloquial names. It was named in honor of American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Agkistrodon bilineatus taylori, p. 261). It is a stout, medium sized snake, averaging 64-90 cm. in length. Taylor's cantils have prominent light and dark stripes on the head, with a pattern of black and gray-brown bands on the body, accented with white, yellow, and orange. They are sexually dimorphic, with males being significantly darker than females. Some older individuals, particularly males, may grow darker, nearly black with age. It is a viviparous species, with typical litters of 3 to 10 live young. Taylor's cantils are uncommon to rare snakes in the wild and listed as a threatened species in Mexico. It occurs in a variety of habitats on the Gulf Coastal Plain and lower foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, including thorn scrub, tropical deciduous forest, and grasslands, sometimes said to prefer ecotones between scrubland and forest in the vicinity of rocky limestone outcroppings. Although not overtly aggressive, it is known to be very defensive with a volatile temper and may be quick to strike when approached, threatened, or restrained. No case reports of human envenomations have been published. Its venom is believed to be similar to its close relative, the cantil Agkistrodon bilineatus, and potentially fatal.Ernst, C. H. and E. M. Ernst. 2011. Venomous Reptile of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico, Vol 1: Heloderma, Micruroides, Micrurus, Pelamis, Agkistrodon, Sistrurus. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland. xviii, 352 pp.Heimes, P. 2016. Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I: Snakes of Mexico. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt/ECO Publishing, Rodeo, New Mexico. 572 pp.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
