Arizona elegans elegans
Kansas Glossy Snake


Click on a picture to see a larger version in a different window
Range:
Other Names: Faded Snake, Glossy Snake, Arizona Snake, Elegant Bull Snake, Slender Gopher Snake, Sand Snake
Description:

The glossy snake and its many subspecies are all similar in appearance to gopher snakes. However, they are smaller than gopher snakes, with narrow, pointed heads, and a variety of skin patterns and colors. They appear "washed-out" or pale, hence the common name, "faded snakes".

Most subspecies are ca. 75–130 cm (ca. 30-50 inches) in total length. The maximum recorded total length for the species is 142 cm (56 in).

They are shades of tan, brown, and gray with spotted patterns on their smooth, glossy skin, and a white or cream-colored unmarked ventral surface. Coloration often varies in relation to the color of the soil in a snake's native habitat.

Venom: None
Habitat: Semi-arid grasslands
Behavior: Mainly nocturnal, sometimes found during cool mornings or afternoons
Hibernation: Probably hibernate in rodent burrows, may be active on warm (50-60 degrees).  I encountered one crossing a road on December 16.
Reproduction: Glossy snakes are oviparous. Adults breed in the late spring and early summer. Clutches average from 10 to 20 eggs. The eggs hatch in early summers and the newly hatched young are approximately 25 cm (9.8 in) in total length.
Diet: Mainly lizards, occasionally mice
Sources: