View allAll Photos Tagged patch_nosed_snake
Madera Canyon along the Super Trail, Coronado National Forest, in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, AZ.
Tucson Mts., Pima Co., Arizona - I was a little surprised this little guy was out sunning on a calm sunny morning in late November.
Baby snake in Waterholes Slot Canyon, near Page, Arizona.
Quiz: Ger and anybody else can guess the name of the species!
Update: I think it is an eastern patched-nosed snake...
Series of photos documenting the consumption of a Western Patch-Nosed Snake by a Red Coachwhip Snake, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, July 11, 2015
(Salvadora hexalepis) Body length: 20 - 46" Nonvenomous. Eats eggs, lizards, small mammals, insects. Some scientists believe that the distinctive "patch nose" or enlarged nose scale, is an adaptation for excavating eggs. Patchnose snakes are day-active and are regularly seen on the inner-canyon trails of Grand Canyon National Park. Look for a fast, tan-colored snake with long stripes. When threatened, they will inflate their body and strike, as this one does at the end of the video .
There are approximately 47 reptile species in Grand Canyon National Park. Ten are considered common along the river corridor and include lizards and snakes. Reptiles use both upland desert and riparian sites, but higher densities are supported in riparian areas due to the rich invertebrate food source and vegetation. Lizard density tends to be highest along the stretch of land between the water's edge and the beginning of the upland desert community. Within this zone, exotic saltcedar (tamarisk) is abundant, which is excellent lizard habitat. One can also find gila monsters and chuckwallas here, the two largest lizards in the Canyon.
The arid conditions of the desert scrub uplands favor a fauna comprised chiefly of reptiles and desert-adapted rodents. Except for the desert banded gecko, which seems to be distributed only near water along the Colorado River, all of the reptiles found near the river also appear in the uplands, but in lower densities. The desert gopher tortoise, a threatened species, inhabits the desert scrublands in the western end of the park. NPS video by Michael Quinn.
Desert Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepsis); San Pedro River Valley, SE of San Manuel, AZ
Western patch-nosed snake on black background. Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, USA. 2 April 2019
2024-25: Judge commended out of 1500 entries in Photocrowd 'Curves' competition in April 2025.
2023-24: Expert highly commended out of 6369 entries in Photocrowd 'Curves' in October 2023. Judge merit award out of 725 entries in Photocrowd 'Snakes (in Colour)' competition in November 2023
2021-22: Judge commended of 1929 entries in Photocrowd 'Sweeping Curves' in January 2022
Maricopa Co, Az. Habitat includes the Creosote Flats, Bajadas, Washes, and Mountains of the Lower Colorado Desertscrub. Habitat for lots of organisms and possible habitat for; Sonoran Desert Toad (Bufo alvarius), Great Plains Toads (B. cognatus), Red-spotted Toad (B. punctatus), Couch's Spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii), Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris), Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), Long-tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus graciosus), Ornate Brush Lizard (U. ornatus), Common Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), Desert Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus), Variable Sandsnake (Chilomeniscus stramineus), Western Shovel-nosed Snake (Chionactis occipitalis), Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula), Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), Western Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata), Sonoran Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis), Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus), Coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum), Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis), Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans), Nightsnake (Hypsiglena torquata), Western Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops humilis), Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), Mojave Rattlesnake (C. scutulatus), Desert Sidewinder (C. cerastes).
Maricopa Co, Az. Habitat includes the Creosote Flats, Bajadas, Washes, and Mountains of the Lower Colorado Desertscrub. Habitat for lots of organisms and possible habitat for; Sonoran Desert Toad (Bufo alvarius), Great Plains Toads (B. cognatus), Red-spotted Toad (B. punctatus), Couch's Spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii), Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris), Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), Long-tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus graciosus), Ornate Brush Lizard (U. ornatus), Common Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), Desert Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus), Variable Sandsnake (Chilomeniscus stramineus), Western Shovel-nosed Snake (Chionactis occipitalis), Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula), Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), Western Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata), Sonoran Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis), Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus), Coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum), Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis), Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans), Nightsnake (Hypsiglena torquata), Western Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops humilis), Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), Mojave Rattlesnake (C. scutulatus), Desert Sidewinder (C. cerastes).
Maricopa Co, Az. Habitat includes the Creosote Flats, Bajadas, Washes, and Mountains of the Lower Colorado Desertscrub. Habitat for lots of organisms and possible habitat for; Sonoran Desert Toad (Bufo alvarius), Great Plains Toads (B. cognatus), Red-spotted Toad (B. punctatus), Couch's Spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii), Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris), Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), Long-tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus graciosus), Ornate Brush Lizard (U. ornatus), Common Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), Desert Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus), Variable Sandsnake (Chilomeniscus stramineus), Western Shovel-nosed Snake (Chionactis occipitalis), Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula), Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), Western Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata), Sonoran Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis), Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus), Coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum), Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis), Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans), Nightsnake (Hypsiglena torquata), Western Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops humilis), Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), Mojave Rattlesnake (C. scutulatus), Desert Sidewinder (C. cerastes).
Maricopa Co, Az. Habitat for lots of organisms and possible habitat for; Sonoran Desert Toad (Bufo alvarius), Great Plains Toads (B. cognatus), Red-spotted Toad (B. punctatus), Couch's Spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii), Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris), Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), Long-tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus graciosus), Ornate Brush Lizard (U. ornatus), Common Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis), Desert Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma platyrhinos), Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus), Variable Sandsnake (Chilomeniscus stramineus), Western Shovel-nosed Snake (Chionactis occipitalis), Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula), Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), Western Groundsnake (Sonora semiannulata), Sonoran Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis), Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus), Coachwhip (Masticophus flagellum), Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis), Nightsnake (Hypsiglena torquata), Western Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops humilis), Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), Mojave Rattlesnake (C. scutulatus). Other herps may be found just down the wash in the creosote flats like the Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides), Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii), Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans).
4 of 4, I was standng next to a grave marked unknown and noticed this snake heading toward me about a row away. As you can see, its home was a hole at the unknown grave, Boot Hill Graveyard, Tombstone, Cochise County, AZ, 24 April 2014
Western Patch-nosed Snake, Coast Patch-nosed Snake subspecies (Salvadora hexalepis virgultea) in coastal sage scrub habitat, San Diego County, California.
Maricopa Co, AZ. Habitat for many herps like; Canyon Treefrogs, pos Sonoran Desert Toads, pos Woodhouse's Toads, pos Red-spotted Toads, Tiger Whiptails, Side-blotched Lizards, Western Banded Geckos, Ornate Tree Lizards, Zebra-tailed Lizards, pos Greater Earless Lizards, Desert Spiny Lizards, pos Clark's Spiny Lizards, pos Plateau Lizards, pos Chuckwallas, pos Gila Monsters, Sonoran Coral Snakes, Variable Sand Snakes, Common Kingsnakes, Long-nosed Snakes, Groundsnakes, pos Smith's Black-headed Snakes, Sonoran Gopher Snakes, pos Spotted Leaf-nosed Snakes, Sonoran Whipsnakes, Coachwhips, Western Patch-nosed Snakes, Black-necked Gartersnakes, Night Snakes, pos Western Thread Snakes, pos Lyre Snakes, Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes, Mojave Rattlesnakes, Black-tailed Rattlesnakes, & Tiger Rattlesnakes.
Maricopa Co, Az. This area is kind of the end of the Lower Colorado Desertscrub and is getting into Arizona Upland Desertscrub. To the right of this photo was a steep rocky slope that was probably a good place for herps in the right conditions. The wash's bottom was a very fine sandy soil that is probably good for some fossorial species. Possible habitat for; Sonoran Desert Toads, Woodhouse's Toads, Tiger Whiptail, Zebra-tailed Lizards, Greater Earless Lizards, Ornate Tree Lizards, Long-tailed Brush Lizards (?), Common Side-blotched Lizards, Desert Spiny Lizards, Desert Iguanas, Common Chuckwallas, Gila Monsters, Sonoran Coralsnake, Variable Sandsnake, Common Kingsnake, Long-nosed Snake, Smith's Black-headed Snakes, Sonoran Gopher Snakes, Spotted Leaf-nosed Snakes (?), Sonoran Whipsnakes, Coachwhips, Western Patch-nosed Snakes, Black-necked Garter Snakes, Night Snakes, Western Thread Snakes, Western Lyre Snakes (if here they would likely be on the steep rocky slope habitat), Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes, Black-tailed Rattlesnakes, and Tiger Rattlesnakes (?).