| 1 | Great Basin rattlesnake |
Easily the most common venomous snake in Nevada. While sidewinders and Mojave rattlesnakes inhabit the south, Great Basin rattlesnakes inhabit the vast majority of the state. The only areas they skip are the far south near Las Vegas.
This rattlesnake measures 65-120cm, and is a subspecies of the widespread Pacific rattlesnake. A debate is ongoing as to whether they’re a fully independent species, but either way, this is distinct from the main Pacific rattler, with brown or black blotches contrasting sharply against a beige base, for perfect camouflage in the parched deserts where they live.
Great Basin rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus lutosus) inhabit chaparral, semi-deserts with cacti, and dry rocky areas with shrubs. Any truck driver pulling over at a rest stop with picnic benches has a strong chance of meeting this species. Hikers commonly meet this snake, and bites are reasonably common. A study using data from the North American Snakebite Registry found that 12 proven bites occurred from 2013-2015, which was the second highest, beaten by western diamondbacks at 18 bites. A 2016 study identified an all new myotoxin (muscle-targeting toxin) from Great Basin rattlesnake venom, called ColTx-I. The further you drive north from Las Vegas, the stronger your chances of meeting this rattlesnake.
| 2 | Ground snake |
A harmless snake measuring just 25-45cm. Ground snakes (Sonora semiannulata) live in rocky areas with loose soils. While appearing in arid semi-deserts, they need habitats with at least some moisture, including dry grassland and shrubland, dry streambeds and open rocky hillside. Ground snakes are most concentrated in southern Nevada, but are found across most of the west. Sightings are plentiful around the outskirts of Las Vegas (south) and Reno (west). Their wider ranges include southern California and most of Arizona.
Being a small humble snake, ground snakes mostly eat creepy crawlies like centipedes, scorpions, insect larvae and even spiders. Without a way to defend themselves, they also fall victim to many predators. These include snakes, such as Baja California rattlesnakes, Sonoran coral snakes and sidewinder rattlesnakes (common in southern Nevada).
This is one of the USA’s most variable snakes in colour. Grey and orange is typical like above, but shades of red and snowy white regularly manifest. The patterns also vary, with some arranged in stripes rather than bands, and others being a single colour. Their belly is normally pale or grey. These morphs aren’t distinct subspecies, and freely intermingle in the same locations, without blending and losing their distinctiveness. Ground snakes are nocturnal and secretive, and are easiest to find by the sides of roads.
| 3 | Mojave patchnose snake |
A common snake in the south of Nevada, including the Las Vegas region. This is a subspecies of the wider patchnose snake species, and is a harmless serpent averaging at 65-90cm. Mojave patchnose snakes (Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis) have large eyes with round pupils, and smooth scales to touch. They’re mainly a creature of semi-deserts, and dry wispy grassland with hardy shrubs, commonly along the edges of highways.
The name comes from a single, massively enlarged scale on the front of their nose, which is theorised to be for digging up buried lizard eggs. From head on, this patch is shaped like a large human molar tooth. Digging isn’t their only skill, as Mojave patchnoses are a fast species, which can skirt away from curious humans in no time. They sometimes climb small shrubs in pursuit of prey, and have the ability to withstand extreme conditions, moving during the day even when the desert is at its most scorching.
The patchnose snake has 3 subspecies in the western US, and the Mojave version is the most northerly. The biggest difference is that the stripes down its back are more muffled, less sharply defined.
| 4 | Great Basin gopher snake |
One of the few snakes to be found in every corner of Nevada. Pituophis canifer deserticola is a subspecies of the wider gopher snake species, and averages at 135cm. They can be found near Las Vegas to the south, Reno to the west, and all the arid desert landscapes inbetween.
While technically a mere subspecies, Great Basin gopher snakes are highly distinctive, with connected dark blotches contrasting vividly against a lighter undertone. With a triangular head and complex patterns, Great Basin gopher snakes are commonly mistaken for rattlesnakes and killed out of fear. In reality, they’re harmless – they might rear up, hiss loudly, and perform bluff strikes, but they lack any venom and rarely bite.
The reason this species has conquered every corner of Nevada is its flexibility. Great Basin gopher snakes can inhabit semi-deserts, woodlands and grasslands with ease. Like the main gopher snake, their main foodstuff is mammals. A 2011 study found meadow voles (Microtus family) in their belly, and their predators include fish, in a weird event observed in 2006, where a 60cm brown trout attempted to swallow a 90cm Great Basin gopher snake by a stream.
| 5 | Striped whipsnake |
An extremely fast and thin snake, which reaches a maximum of 200cm. Striped whipsnakes are easy to recognise, as no other species in Nevada is quite as long and whip-like, except the red coachwhip, which is red rather than dark grey. Striped whipsnakes shun urban zones and live in wide open grassland, woodlands and semi-desert, where they’re found slithering over dry rock areas, sometimes close to streams.
Masticophis taeniatus has a split personality. In some cases they’ll snap and lunge viciously at anyone that invades their personal space, but others will flee across the horizon at high speeds, vanishing up a shrubby hill. A handful will stay still, but this is an active, energetic snake which dislikes inaction.
Striped whipsnakes primarily eat lizards, which are plentiful in the parched landscapes of Nevada. They also eat fellow snakes, and confirmed prey include eastern racers, gopher snakes, patchnose snakes, ground snakes, and west diamondback rattlesnakes. To shelter itself in the harsh Nevada terrain, striped whipsnakes take shelter in rocky outcrops and vacant mammal burrows. This species is a close relative of the California whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis).
| 6 | Terrestrial garter snake |
Also known as the wandering garter snake, and Nevada is one vast open landscape they’ve wandered into. This species averages at 50-100cm, and is less dependent on streams and ponds than other garter snakes. This allows them to inhabit drier, parched areas such as wispy grassland and rocky hillsides.
Terrestrial garter snakes are little threat to humans, but possess the strongest venom of the Thamnophis fmaily. Picking one up may land you with a swollen finger and throbbing pain for a few days. They also have constriction abilities, and may decide to coil around your arm. Terrestrial garter snakes have a flexible diet, another reason they can survive Nevada’s vast wilderness. Their diet includes mammals, frogs and fish alike.
Thamnophis elegans is easily the most abundant garter snake in Nevada. Being so deserted, the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is mostly missing, but it does inhabit the extreme west, spilling over from California, leaving Arizona as the only lower 48 state which it doesn’t inhabit. Likewise, the Sierra garter snake also inhabits the moist far west, leaving terrestrial garter snakes the majority of Nevada to play with.
| 7 | Desert nightsnake |
This species ranges from northern Mexico to extreme southern Canada. On the way, they stop off in Nevada, where they cover a large part of the state, though are rarely encountered. The outskirts of Las Vegas are a hotspot, while they also inhabit semi-arid areas further north. Hypsiglena chlorophaea is most commonly found in rocky environments, where they crawl through the endless nooks and crannies, following subtle scents which no human could possibly hope to detect. This is a difficult snake to spot, particularly with their beige-grey colours that blend perfectly with stone.
Desert night snakes are nocturnal, as evidenced by their sharply vertical pupils. Jumbled rock fields by the side of highways are a favourite habitat. This is a classic species which you may drive past regularly, but never lay eyes on.
Night snakes have a mild venom, which likely causes no harm to humans. This is secreted by rear fangs of the upper jaw, which are enlarged compared to their other teeth. This 40-60cm species is one that a lifelong Nevada citizen may never encounter.
| 8 | Western leaf-nosed snake |
A snake of harsh, arid deserts, which stops only at living in fully-fledged sand dunes. Western leaf nosed snakes (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus) live in barren deserts with no settlements, in habitats like open desert flats, washes and desert foothills. They have a strong correlation with creosote bushes, and the best place to spot them is paved roads through the desert.
Spotted leafnose snakes are most common in the deserts of southern Nevada. Many revellers will have driven past them on desert highways, bleary eyed after a long Vegas weekend which they vow never to mention again. Spotted leafnose snakes are proficient diggers, with an enlarged frontal scale similar to the patch nose snake. They average at just 30-50cm, and with beige and brown camouflage, spotting them is extremely difficult, virtually impossible from behind a speeding car.
Though no real threat, western leaf-nosed snakes are no pushover, as they sometimes draw back and strike at curious onlookers. They possess no venom capable of harming humans, but they do have one secret weapon – if you’re in a desert harsh enough to contain one, there’s a strong chance that a sidewinder rattlesnake is creeping up on you while you’re distracted.
| 9 | California kingsnake |
California kingsnakes are one of the most common species in their namesake state, from head to toe, but they also have a strong colony in southern Nevada. They’re abundant in the regions near Las Vegas, and live further north as well, with scattered sightings near places like Austin (population 167).
California kingsnakes are a hardy and tough species, with the honour of being the most efficient known constrictor in the world, coiling around their mammal prey in extremely tight formation. Their diet consists of 29% mammals, 29% fellow snakes and 15% lizards. A study using over 2000 preserved specimens found fellow snakes such as gopher snakes, coachwhips, sidewinders, and Great Basin rattlesnakes. Many of these live in Nevada.
California kingsnakes are flexible in their habitats, and can inhabit semi-deserts with wispy grass, open rocky hillsides and dry woodlands. They’re an active forager rather than an ambush predator, which relentlessly prowls around the Nevada wilds investigating any scent its constantly flecking tongue can pick up. If they meet a male, they may begin wrestling, in order to gain the affections of local females. California kingsnakes average at 76-107cm, and are one of Nevada’s most recognisable species, with vividly contrasting black and white patterns.
| 10 | Red coachwhip |
The coachwhip is an extremely common snake of the US, ranging from California in the west to Florida in the east, and spilling into Mexico. There are 8 subspecies, and the red coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus) is Nevada’s version. It’s one of the most recognisable, with a red body and black-white neck patches.
Red coachwhips belong to the same family as striped whipsnakes, and have a similar nature. They’re twitchy, fast, alert, and energetic snakes which will snap at you one minute then vanish into undergrowth the next. Coachwhips are renowned as one of the world’s fastest snakes, and catching one in your hands is an epic task. Red coachwhips inhabit a decent chunk of Nevada, skipping the northeast, while having a strong grip on Las Vegas and western areas near Reno. They’re the only subspecies to inhabit Nevada, and are one of Nevada’s longest snakes, ranging from 90-250cm.
Red coachwhips hate areas of dense vegetation, as this impedes their speedy movements. Otherwise, they’re extremely flexible, inhabiting semi-desert, open grassland, and rocky hillsides alike. Lizards form the bulk of their diet.