Long-nosed Snake
Rhinocheilus lecontei
Summary 5
The long-nosed snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake, which is endemic to North America. It is the only species in the genus Rhinocheilus, but has four recognized subspecies, though more modern research has cast some doubt on that classification.
Characteristics 6
The Long-nosed Snake is medium in size, ranging in length from 51 to 102cm (20 to 40in). Distinguished by its elongated snout and countersunk jaw, The species also has dorsal bands with a speckled appearance, smooth dorsal scales and an enlarged rostral scale.
Description 7
The long-nosed snake is distinguished by a long, slightly upturned snout, which is the origin of its common name. It is tricolor, vaguely resembling a coral snake with black and red saddling that almost looks like banding, on a yellow or cream-colored background, which can look somewhat like yellow banding. Cream-colored spots within the black saddles are a distinct characteristic of the long-nosed snake. It differs from all other harmless snakes in the United States by having undivided subcaudal scales. They average around 30 inches (76 cm) in total length.
Habitat 7
The long-nosed snakes inhabits dry, often rocky, grassland areas.
Geographic range 7
R. lecontei is found in northern Mexico from San Luis Potosí to Chihuahua, and into the southwestern United States, in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Sources and Credits
- (c) lonnyholmes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by lonnyholmes
- (c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane
- (c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonysfotos/16382427213/
- (c) Marshal Hedin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Marshal Hedin
- Adapted by Desmon M Dunn from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinocheilus_lecontei
- (c) Patrick (Dan) Giltz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/421206
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-nosed_snake
