View Rule

We will make a listing determination for the black pine snake, under the Endangered Species Act. We are required to designate critical habitat, to the maximum extent prudent and determinable, concurrent with a listing determination for the species. We will develop a critical habitat designation for the black pine snake, as a separate rulemaking action (RIN 1018-BA24). The black pine snake prefers xeric (extremely dry), fire-maintained longleaf pine forest with sandy, well-drained soils. The species can usually be found on hilltops and ridges, and toward the tops of slopes where there is an open canopy, a reduced midstory, and a dense herbaceous understory. The black pine snake's range includes extreme southeastern Louisiana through southern Mississippi, and into southwestern Alabama. This species has been recorded in Mobile, Clarke, and Washington Counties, Alabama, and is believed to occur in Choctaw County as well.