Desert Hook-nosed Snake
(Gyalopion quadrangularis)
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Desert Hook-nosed Snake (Gyalopion quadrangularis) |
Color Photographs: © by and courtesy of Gary Nafis
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Desert Hook-nosed Snake (Gyalopion quadrangularis) Identification: Snake small, 6 to 12 inches in length. Background color white with a series of black saddles along the dorsal side, separated by white. Side with red to rust red patches separated by black and white patches. Snout upturned with a large flat to concave rostral scale. Belly pale yellow-green. Scales smooth and anal plate single. Geographical Variation: None in the United States. Range (see map on left): The Desert Hook-nosed Snake is a northern Mexican species. It barely reaches southern Arizona in the Patagonia Mountains of Santa Cruz County. Habitat: This species is found in the soils of cayon bottoms and the outwash plains of mountain ranges. In Mexican the habitat choice is more extensive including tropical try forest. Food: Spiders, centipedes, and scorpions. Behavior: The Desert Hook-nosed Snake is a burrower spending most of its time in loose soils. As a consequence it is rarely seen except at night after rain storms. If disturbed the species makes a popping sound by everting its cloaca. Reproduction: Unknown.
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Desert Hook-nosed Snake
The upturned snout and the dorsal saddle-shaped patches separated by white are highly distinctive. |
Similar Species No Similar Species |
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