| Range: |
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| Other Names: |
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| Description: |
Adults can be 12 - 26 inches long (30-66 cm.) Most seen are 8 - 12 inches long, rarely over 16 inches.
Hatchlings are about 7 inches in length. A small slender snake with a narrow flat head, smooth scales in 21 rows, and vertical pupils. Color varies, often matching the substrate, from light gray, light brown, beige, to tan or cream, with dark brown or gray blotches on the back and sides. Usually a pair of large dark markings on the neck and a dark bar through or behind the eyes.
Whitish or yellowish and unmarked underneath. |
| Similar Species: |
Lyre Snakes have pale crossbars within haxagonal blotcheson body and usually a V- or lyre-shaped marking on the head. Young racers are blotched but have round pupils and wedged lower preocular scale. Young Gopher Snakes have round pupils and usually 4 prefrontal scales. Young rattlesnakes have a horny button or rattle on tail. Desert Night Snakes are easiest distinguished by range. |
| Venom: |
Rear-fanged, not considered dangerous to humans |
| Habitat: |
Found in a variety of habitats, often arid areas, from chaparral, Sagebrush flats, deserts, suburban lots and gardens, mountain meadows, grassland. Most commonly found in areas with abundant surface cover.
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| Behavior: |
Nocturnal, and also active at dusk and dawn.
Can be found under rocks, boards, dead tree branches, and other surface objects.
Often seen crossing desert roads on warm nights. |
| Hibernation: |
Hibernates during the cool months. |
| Reproduction: |
Lays eggs from April to September. |
| Diet: |
Eats a wide range of terrestrial vertebrates, mostly lizards and their eggs, sometimes small snakes, frogs, and salamanders. |
Sources:
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