A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Western Patch-nosed Snake - Salvadora hexalepis

Desert Patch-nosed Snake -
Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis

(Cope, 1866)

Click on a picture for a larger view

Description • Taxonomy • Species Description • Scientific Name • Alt. Names • Similar Herps • References • Conservation Status

Red: Range of this subspecies in California
Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis -
Desert Patch-nosed Snake

Range of other subspecies in California:

Purple: Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis -
Mohave Patch-nosed Snake

Orange: Salvadora hexalepis virgultea -
Coast Patch-nosed Snake

Click on the map for a topographical view

Map with California County Names

Southwest Page

Adult, San Diego County

Adult, Riverside County
© Glen Vargas

Adult, Riverside County
© Harold DeLisle

The snake above was found at 4,000 ft. in San Diego County in an area where snakes with the appearance of both S. h. hexalepis and S. h. virgultea are found, but the broken side stripes, the mostly 3 scale wide middorsal stripe, and the pale color of the top of the head indicate that it is a Desert Patch-nosed Snake.

Adult, San Bernardino County
© Bo Zaremba

Adult, Imperial County © Bill Bachman

Adult, Riverside County © Huck Triggs

A Desert Patch-nosed Snake eating a rodent (probably a kangaroo rat) in the middle of a dirt road in San Bernardino County. The snake probably flushed the nocturnal rodent from its burrow then caught it on the road. © Mike Pecora

Patch-nosed Snake tracks on a dirt road, San Diego County

Desert Patch-nosed Snakes From Outside California

Adult, Maricopa County, Arizona

Detail of side stripes

Adult, Maricopa County, Arizona

Detail of side stripes

Adult, La Paz Co., Arizona
© Dick Bartlett

Adult, Arizona
© Jeremiah Easter

Habitat

Habitat, Riverside County desert

Habitat, Imperial County desert

Habitat, San Diego County desert

Habitat, San Bernardino County desert

Intergrade habitat,
San Diego County mountains

Habitat, San Diego County desert

Habitat, Imperial County © Bill Bachman

Short Videos

A cold and sluggish Desert Patch-nosed Snake is gently prodded with a stick to encourage it to move for the camera, but the snake retaliates by racing away in a blur in typical patch-nosed snake fashion.

An intergrade patch-nosed snake on a dirt road in the morning makes a few attempts to get away from me, then after waiting patiently for the right moment, finally dashes across the road to freedom.

Description

Not Dangerous - This snake does not have venom that can cause death or serious illness or injury in most humans.

Commonly described as "harmless" or "not poisonous" to indicate that its bite is not dangerous, but "not venomous" is more accurate. (A poisonous snake can hurt you if you eat it. A venomous snake can hurt you if it bites you.)

Observations of lizard predation have provided evidence that Western Patch-nosed Snake might use a prey-specific venom that is introduced through chewing with the rear teeth.
(Brian K. Sullivan and Scott A. Weinstein. Foraging and Prey Handling in the Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis), and Consideration of Venom Use in Non-front-fanged Colubroid Snakes. Herpetological Review 48(1), 2017.)

Size

Salvadora hexalepis ranges in size from 10 - 46 inches long (25 - 117 cm).
Most snakes seen will be around 26 - 36 inches (66 - 91 cm).

Appearance

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.

Color and Pattern

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 middorsal stripe is usually 3 scales wide.
The underside is cream, sometimes shading to pale orange at the tail end.
The top of the head is gray.

Similar Subspecies

Comparison of the 3 subspecies of Salvadora hexalepis found in California.

Life History and Behavior

Little is known about the natural history of this species. These notes are based on observations of the species as a whole.

Activity

Diurnal - active during daylight, even in times of extreme heat.
Terrestrial, but also climbs shrubs in pursuit of prey.
Burrows into loose soil.
Able to move very quickly.
Acute vision allows this snake to escape quickly when threatened, making it sometimes difficult to observe or capture during the heat of the day.
Enlarged back teeth might be used to envenomate prey. (Grismer, 2002)
The enlarged rostral scale (on the tip of the nose) is thought to be useful in excavating buried lizard eggs.
It may also be used to dig into underground burrows: A Western Patch-nosed Snake in San Bernardino County was observed in an apparent attempt to catch a small rodent by forcefully ramming its head into the dirt at the base of a Creosote bush which opened a small hole in the ground, and crawling into the hole. A small rodent emerged from a different hole under the bush and ran away. (Herpetological Review 44(2), 2013)

Defense

When When cornered, will inflate the body and strike.

Diet and Feeding

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

Reproduction

Females are oviparous, laying 4-12 eggs, probably between May and August. (Stebbins, 2003)

Habitat

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

Geographical Range

The species Salvadora hexalepis - Western Patch-nosed Snake, is found in southern California, Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah, Arizona, southeastern New Mexico, west Texas, and south into western Mexico, including Baja California.

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.

Elevational Range

Salvadora hexalepis occurs at elevations from below sea level to around 7,000 ft. (2,130 m.) (Stebbins, 2003)

Notes on Taxonomy

There are five subspecies of Salvadora hexalepis, with three occurring in California:
S. h. hexalepis - Desert Patch-nosed Snake,
S. h. mojavensis - Mohave Patch-nosed Snake ,
S. h. virgultea - Coast Patch-nosed Snake,
S. h. klauberi - Baja California Patch-nosed Snake, and
S. h. deserticola - Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake,
which occurs in the Southwest, is recognized by some taxonomists as a unique species, Salvadora deserticola.

Alternate and Previous Names (Synonyms)

Salvadora hexalepis - Patch-nosed Snake (Phimothyra hexalepis; Salvadora grahamiae hexalepis; Zamenis grahami Salvadora grahamiae. Banded Flat-nosed Snake; Graham's Flat-nosed Snake) (Grinnell and Camp 1917)

Patchnose Snake

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None

Taxonomy
Family	Colubridae	Colubrids	Oppel, 1811
Genus	Salvadora	Patch-nosed Snakes	Baird and Girard, 1853
Species	hexalepis	Western Patch-nosed Snake	(Cope, 1866)
Subspecies	hexalepsis	Desert Patch-nosed Snake	(Cope, 1866)
Original Description
Salvadora hexalepis - (Cope, "1866" 1867) - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 18, p. 304 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Salvadora - Latin - salvus - whole, sound, well preserved and dura - hide or skin -- "body covered w/smooth scales" hexalepis - Greek - hex - six and lepisma - scale - refers to the 6th supralabial reaching the eye in the holotype from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Related or Similar California Snakes
S. h. mojavensis - Mohave Patch-nosed Snake S. h. virgultea - Coast Patch-nosed Snake M. f. piceus - Red Racer
More Information and References
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012. Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972. Flaxington, William C. Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Field Observations, Distribution, and Natural History. Fieldnotes Press, Anaheim, California, 2021. Samuel M. McGinnis and Robert C. Stebbins. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians. 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Snakes of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Bartlett, R. D. & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000. Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997. Ernst, Carl H., Evelyn M. Ernst, & Robert M. Corker. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003. Taylor, Emily. California Snakes and How to Find Them. Heyday, Berkeley, California. 2024. Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, 1957. Joseph Grinnell and Charles Lewis Camp. A Distributional List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of California. University of California Publications in Zoology Vol. 17, No. 10, pp. 127-208. July 11, 1917.

Conservation Status
The following conservation status listings for this animal are taken from the April 2024 State of California Special Animals List and the April 2024 Federally Listed Endangered and Threatened Animals of California list (unless indicated otherwise below.) Both lists are produced by multiple agencies every year, and sometimes more than once per year, so the conservation status listing information found below might not be from the most recent lists. To make sure you are seeing the most recent listings, go to this California Department of Fish and Wildlife web page where you can search for and download both lists: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals. A detailed explanation of the meaning of the status listing symbols can be found at the beginning of the two lists. For quick reference, I have included them on my Special Status Information page. If no status is listed here, the animal is not included on either list. This most likely indicates that there are no serious conservation concerns for the animal. To find out more about an animal's status you can also go to the NatureServe and IUCN websites to check their rankings. Check the current California Department of Fish and Wildlife sport fishing regulations to find out if this animal can be legally pursued and handled or collected with possession of a current fishing license. You can also look at the summary of the sport fishing regulations as they apply only to reptiles and amphibians that has been made for this website. This snake is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing	Notes
NatureServe Global Ranking	G5	The species is: Secure—Common; widespread and abundant.
NatureServe State Ranking
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Wildlife	None
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None
IUCN

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Desert Patch-nosed Snake - Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis

Desert Patch-nosed Snake -
Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis