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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Saddled Leafnose Snake (Phyllorhynchus browni)


Saddled Leafnose Snake (Phyllorhynchus browni)STATUS





Description: Although most are smaller, this little snake with the modified, free-edged rostral (nosetip) scale may attain an 18 to 20 inch adult size. Ground color is cream and the large blotches are dark to warm brown and have darker edges. The belly is white. It often becomes surface active on warm humid or rainy nights. Scales are usually smooth but are occasionally weakly keeled. Rostral (nosetip) scale is enlarged and has free edges. The body color of cream and saddles of chocolate brown are distinctive.


Habitat: In the north, this snake occurs in upland rocky or sandy desert dominated by mesquite, creosote bush, saltbush, paloverde, and saguaro; habitats in the south include thorn scrub and the lower edge of thorn forest. It burrows into rocky or sandy soil.


Range: This species is patchily distributed from south-central Arizona, United States, south through Sonora to southern Sinaloa, Mexico, at elevations of about 1,000 to 3,000 feet.


Found in these States: AZ


Diet: Prey consists primarily of lizard eggs and may be even more specifically restricted to banded geckos and their eggs.


Reproduction: Oviparous. Lays a clutch of 2 to 5 (mainly 4 to 5) eggs; is has been recorded oviductal eggs in mid-June in Arizona.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


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: Phyllorhynchus
                     »» Species: Phyllorhynchus browni - Saddled Leafnose Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Phyllorhynchus browni", 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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