Spotted Leaf-Nosed Snake

The Spotted Leaf-Nosed Snake is a small, docile desert colubrid best identified by its enlarged, upturned rostral scale, which resembles a leaf and gives the genus its common name. This specialized snout is used for digging into sand to unearth buried reptile eggs, a notable dietary specialization.

Entirely non-venomous and harmless, this species is rarely encountered due to its strictly nocturnal and fossorial habits, spending daylight hours hidden underground.

• Small, slender body with smooth scales
• Pale gray, tan, or pinkish ground color with rounded brown or gray blotches down the back
• Large, protruding, shovel-like rostral scale extending beyond the lower jaw ('leaf nose')
• Large eyes with vertically elliptical pupils, unusual among many harmless colubrids
• Distinguished from similar patterned desert snakes by the distinctive enlarged nose scale

Inhabits sandy and gravelly desert flats, washes, and rocky foothills of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. Prefers areas with loose soil for burrowing and abundant lizard populations.

Strictly nocturnal, remaining underground or under surface cover during the day. Uses its specialized snout to dig up and consume reptile eggs, particularly those of whiptail and other lizards, as well as small lizards themselves. Calm and inoffensive, rarely biting even when handled. Lays eggs in summer.