Description: This patch nosed snake is 20 to 40 inches in length. A thin tan to orange brown snake with a light wide stripe of white, tan or yellow running down the back with parallel bordered by dark brown stripes. Belly white or peach. This species has a large, triangular rostral scale that is curved over snout. The dark stripes are distinct and have clean edges.

Habitat: Found in open grasslands, chaparral, sagebrush and desert scrub. Also occurs in lower slopes of mountains, mesquite, catsclaw and creosote bush plains

Range: The range of this species extends from southern and eastern California, western and southern Nevada, and extreme southwestern Utah south through Arizona, southern New Mexico, and southwestern Texas in the United States, to the tip of Baja California, southern Sinaloa, and Chihuahua, Mexico, at elevations ranging from below sea level in desert sinks to 7,000 feet.

Found in these States: AZ | NM | TX

Diet: Eats lizards, lizards eggs, small snakes, nestling birds and mammals.

Reproduction: Mates in early spring. Has clutches of 5 to 10 eggs.

Status: This species is represented by a large number of occurrences or subpopulations. The total adult population size is unknown but probably exceeds 100,000. It is common in many parts of its range, but uncommon in Texas. Its extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size are probably relatively stable.

Taxonomy: Salvadora hexalepis deserticola has been elevated to valid species. Recognition of the species S. deserticola was made without justification by Bogert and Degenhardt. However, Bogert, describes characters justifying the distrinction and states that there are no intergrades.