The long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei ) is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. It has two recognized subspecies. The other species in the genus were previously considered subspecies.
The Long-nosed snake is a nonvenomous snake native to North America. It has a long, slightly upturned snout, which is the origin of its common name. It is tricolor, vaguely resembling a coral snake with black and red saddling that almost looks like banding, on a yellow or cream-colored background, which can look somewhat like yellow banding. Cream-colored spots within the black saddles are a distinct characteristic of the long-nosed snake. It differs from all other harmless snakes in the United States by having undivided subcaudal scales.
Long-nosed snakes occur in northern Mexico from San Luis Potosí to Chihuahua, and into the southwestern United States, in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They prefer to live in desert, grassland, shrubland, savanna, dry prairies, and arid river valleys.
Long-nosed snakes are shy burrowing creatures that are active during the nighttime. They spend most of their time buried underground but may also hide under rocks or in rodent burrows. They are typically solitary and don’t gather in groups. If disturbed or feeling threatened, these snakes won’t bite but will release a foul-smelling musk and blood from the cloaca as a defense mechanism.
Long-nosed snakes are carnivores. They feed on lizards, amphibians, and sometimes smaller snakes and rodents.
Female Long-nosed snakes are oviparous. They lay clutches of between 4 and 9 eggs in the early summer, which hatch in the late summer or early fall. The young hatch fully-developed and are able to find food by themselves.
This species doesn’t face any major threats at present.
According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Long-nosed snake is unknown but probably exceeds 100,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.
