Two blind snake species live in the Texas Hill Country, the Texas blind snake (Leptotyphlops dulcis) and the western slender blind snake (Leptotyphlops humilis). Both snakes are primarily fossorial, meaning they live most of their lives underground. Blind snakes resemble earthworms and have little to no skin patterns. A subspecies of the Texas blind snake, the Plains blind snake (Leptotyphlops dulcis dulcis), also lives in the Texas Hill Country. Blind snakes have vestigial eyes, which means the eyes are present but are not functional. Both of these blind snakes are nonvenomous.
The largest group of snakes in Texas Hill Country are colubrids. All colubrids in Texas Hill Country are nonvenomous and rely on constriction to subdue their prey. Colubrids have round-shaped eyes, a trait that distinguishes them from venomous pit vipers; pit vipers have slit-shaped eyes. Some of Texas Hill Country's colubrids are racers (Coluber spp.), hog-nosed snakes (Heterodon spp.), kingsnakes (Lampropeltis spp.), watersnakes (Nerodia spp.), rat snakes (Pantherophis spp.) and gartersnakes (Thamnophis spp.). Although they are nonvenomous, colubrids will bite humans in self-defense.
The majority of venomous snakes in the Texas Hill Country are pit vipers. These snakes receive the “pit viper” name from their facial pits, which have heat sensors, allowing the snake to detect the heat from warm-blooded animals such as rabbits and rodents. Pit vipers inject venom from long, hollow fangs. The cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) live in the Texas Hill Country. Copperheads live in abandoned buildings and dry areas, while cottonmouths spend most of their time in aquatic habitats. Cottonmouths swim on the water's surface and the nonvenomous Nerodia genus watersnakes swim underwater.
Only one elapid snake lives in the Texas Hill Country, the Texas coral snake (Micrurus fulvius tener). This snake is venomous and injects its venom from short fangs. Unlike pit vipers, Texas coral snakes do not inject their venom immediately. Texas coral snakes resembles the nonvenomous milksnake, which is also native to the Texas Hill Country. The milksnake has red-black-yellow or white skin patterns, while Texas coral snakes feature red-yellow-black bands. Also, Texas coral snakes have round-shaped eyes, similar to Colubrids.