Tantilla is a large genus of harmless New World snakes in the family Colubridae.

[6][7] Tantilla are small snakes, rarely exceeding 20 cm (8 inches) in total length (including tail).

They spend most of their time buried in the moist leaf litter of semi-forested regions or under rocks and debris.

The diet of snakes of the genus Tantilla consists primarily of invertebrates, including scorpions, centipedes, spiders, and various insects.

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Tantilla.