Western Patch-nosed Snake

Fascinating facts about the Western Patch-nosed Snake

• Adults of the western patch-nosed snake average 20–46 inches (51–117 cm) in total length, with a record length of 58 inches (150 cm).
• It is found in the United States in Arizona, southern California, Nevada, southern New Mexico, and southwestern Texas, and in Mexico in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Sonora.
• Its snout is capped with a thick, curved scale that is free at the edges.
• During spring or early summer the female lays 4–10 eggs, which hatch between August and September.
• It feeds on lizards, other snakes, reptile eggs, and small rodents.

At a glance

About the Western Patch-nosed Snake

The western patch-nosed snake, Salvadora hexalepis, is a sleek, non-venomous colubrid that stretches from 20 to 46 inches (51–117 cm) on average, with a record length of 58 in (150 cm). Its most striking feature is a thick, curved scale that arches over the snout, free at the edges, giving the species its name. The snake’s body is a warm yellowish hue crossed by blackish lateral stripes that vary among the four recognized subspecies, while its smooth dorsal scales and divided anal plate hint at its agile desert lifestyle. Inhabiting the arid deserts of Arizona, southern California, Nevada, southern New Mexico, southwestern Texas, and the northern Mexican states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Sonora, it thrives where heat and sparse vegetation dominate. It feeds on lizards, snakes, reptile eggs, and small rodents. Females lay clutches of four to ten eggs in spring or early summer, with hatchlings emerging in August through September.

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