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Mojave Shovel-nosed Snake
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Serpentes (=Ophidia) (snakes)
- Family: Colubridae (typical snakes)
- Genus: Chionactis (shovel-nosed snakes)
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| Also Known As: Mohave
shovel-nosed snake |
Scientific Name: Chionactis
occipitalis occipitalis (Hallowell, 1854) |
| Habitat: Sandy areas
with scattered bushes. |
Chion="snow," aktis="ray/beam,"
occipitalis="on the back of the head"
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| Length: To 17" total. |
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| Food: Insects,
centipedes, and scorpions. |
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| I found this snake crossing a
road leading to Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. My hand on the
left side of the picture should give some sense of scale; the
snake was under two feet long. This snake's scales are
extremely smooth to enable it to burrow through sandy soils, and
the smoothness gives it a glossy appearance. |
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