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Desert Patchnose Snake Range Map






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Desert Patchnose Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Western Patchnose Snakes »» Desert Patchnose Snake (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis)


Desert Patchnose Snake (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis)STATUS





Description: Adults of Salvadora hexalepis are, on average, 20-46 inches in total length; the record total length is 58 inches. They have a distinctive, thick scale curved back over the top of the snout, and free at the edges. All subspecies are yellowish with blackish lateral stripes in various arrangements. The dorsal scales are smooth, and the anal plate is divided. The side striping will help to identify the subspecies as will the location.


Habitat: Inhabits open arid and semi-arid areas - deserts, brushland, grassland, and scrub in canyons, rocky hillsides, sandy plains.


Range: This subspecies, Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis - Desert Patch-nosed Snake, occurs in California in the southeast, from the desert slopes of the mountains north to roughly Riverside County, and beyond the state south into Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, and east into southeastern Arizona.


Found in these States: AZ | CA | NV


Diet: Eats mostly lizards, especially whiptails, along with small mammals, and possibly small snakes, nestling birds, reptile eggs, and amphibians.


Reproduction: Females are oviparous, laying 4 to 12 eggs, probably between May and August.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats exist for this species.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Salvadora
                     »» Species: Salvadora hexalepis - Western Patchnose Snakes
                       »» Subspecies: Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis - Desert Patchnose Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Salvadora hexalepis", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


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U.S. Guide to Venomous Snakes and Their Mimics     Venomous Snakebite in the Western United States     Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast     The 10 Most Dangerous Snakes in the United States and Canada



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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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