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Adult, Kern County |
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| Juvenile, Inyo County. © Chris Morrison |
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| Adult, Inyo County © Rob Schell |
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Habitat |
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| Habitat, Inyo County |
Habitat, Inyo County
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Habitat, Kern County |
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Description |
Nonvenomous |
| Considered harmless to humans. |
| Size |
| Adults 26-70 in. (66-178 cm) Average length is 3 - 4 feet. |
| Appearance |
| Smooth, glossy scales with a faded or bleached-out appearance - a light brown, gray, cream, or pink ground color with tan brown or gray blotches on back and sides with black edges and a pale, unmarked underside. An average of 63 narrow blotches on body. |
| Behavior |
| Nocturnal. Burrows, hiding underground in daytime. |
| Diet |
| Preys mostly on sleeping diurnal lizards, but also eats small snakes, terrestrial birds, and mammals. Kills prey by direct swallowing or constriction. |
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| Reproduction |
| Lays eggs in June and July. |
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| Range |
This subspecies, Arizona elegans candida - Mohave Glossy Snake, occurs from Inyo County south through most of the Mojave Desert, and east barely into Nevada.
The species Arizona elegans - Western Glossy Snake, has a very wide range, occuring through most of the southwest, and the southeastern part of the Midwest, most of Baja California, and far south into Mexico.
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| Habitat |
| Inhabits barren open sandy desert, desert scrub, rocky washes, grasslands. |
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| Taxonomic Notes |
| It has been proposed that Arizona elegans be split into two distinct species, possibly due to tail length differences between the eastern and western groups. The western glossy snakes would become Arizona occidentalis with the eastern remaining Arizona elegans. |
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| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| None. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Colubridae |
Colubrids |
| Genus |
Arizona |
Glossy Snakes |
| Species |
elegans |
Western Glossy Snake |
Subspecies
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candida |
Mohave Glossy Snake |
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Original Description |
Arizona elegans - Kennicott, 1859 - in Baird, U.S. Mex.
Arizona elegans candida - 1946 - Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. 10, p. 364, pl. 8, fig. 2, text fig. 1, map
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Arizona - 1.) Latin - areo - to be dry and zona - belt of earth - refers to the geographical distribution
2.) arizonac - place of springs - American Indian word, refers to the Arizona region
elegans - Latin - fine or elegant- refers to the color pattern
candida - Latin - shining white or bright - "subspecies characterised by its light color..."
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Alternate Names |
Arizona occidentalis candida
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Related or Similar California Snakes |
A. e. eburnata - Desert Glossy Snake
A. e. occidentalis - California Glossy Snake
P. decurtatus - Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake
P. c. deserticola - Great Basin Gophersnake
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
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.
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.
Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
This snake is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
None |
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| California Department of Fish and Wildlife |
None |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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