Description:Salvadora hexalepis ranges in size from 10 to 46 inches long.
Most snakes seen will be around 26 to 36 inches. A fast, moderately-sized slender striped snake with smooth scales, large eyes, and an enlarged rostral (the scale over the tip of the snout.) There are 9 upper labial scales, usually only the sixth one reaches the eye. The loreal scale is usually not divided. Well-camouflaged, this snake is pale gray with a broad yellow or tan stripe down the middle of the back, and dark stripes on the sides. The underside is cream, sometimes shading to pale orange at the tail end. The dark side stripes are often indistinct and, around the edges of its range, especially in the eastern part, the stripes are obscured by crossbars. The sides may be dark on all but the lowermost 1 or 2 scale rows. The top of the head is gray. The middorsal stripe is usually 3 scales wide.
Habitat: Inhabits open arid and semi-arid areas - deserts, brushland, grassland, scrub, sagebrush, in canyons, rocky hillsides, sandy plains.
Range: This subspecies, Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis - Mohave Patch-nosed Snake, occurs in California from roughly Riverside County, west along the desert side of the mountains, north east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains into Nevada and northeast California in Lassen County, and east into extreme southeast Utah and Arizona.
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.
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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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