Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake

Description:

A small pale snake with dark blotches, smooth scales and a blunt snout. The rostral scale over the nose is enlarged and raised above the level of the other scales, giving this snake its name, as the scale looks like part of a leaf folded over the nose. The ground color is pale tan, pink, or greyish with brown blotches on the back from the back of the head to the tail. The underside is white and unmarked. Pupils are vertical. Some males may have weekly keeled scales.

Habitat:

Sandy or gravelly deserts - open flats, washes, alluvial fans, foothills. Creosote bush is typically present. From below sea level in the Imperial Valley to about 4,000 ft. (1,200 m.)

Notes:

Active at night. The enlarged rostral scale may help this snake burrow through sand in search of prey. When threatened, may draw back and strike. Secretive - at one time thought to be very rare, until Laurence Klauber discovered that they were common after finding them on paved desert roads at night in 1922.