Description: Adults of Salvadora hexalepis are, on average, 20-46 inches in total length; the record total length is 58 inches. They have a distinctive, thick scale curved back over the top of the snout, and free at the edges. All subspecies are yellowish with blackish lateral stripes in various arrangements. The dorsal scales are smooth, and the anal plate is divided. The side striping will help to identify the subspecies as will the location.

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

Range: 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.

Found in these States: AZ | CA | NV

Diet: 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.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats exist for this species.

Taxonomy: