The long-nosed snake (''Rhinocheilus lecontei)'' is a species of non venomous snake in the family

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

. The species is endemic to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It has two recognized

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. The other species in the genus were previously considered subspecies.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''lecontei'', commemorates

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

John Lawrence Le Conte John Lawrence LeConte (May 13, 1825 – November 15, 1883) was an American entomologist of the 19th century, responsible for naming and describing approximately half of the insect taxa known in the United States during his lifetime,

(1825-1883).

Description

The long-nosed snake is distinguished by 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 on a yellow or cream-colored background. 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 In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

. The total length (including tail) of adults is usually , but the maximum record total length is .

Behavior

''R. lecontei'' is a shy,

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

burrowing snake. It spends most of its time buried underground.

Diet

The long-nosed snake feeds on

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s, and sometimes smaller snakes and infrequently rodents.

Reproduction

''R. lecontei'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

, laying clutches of 4-9 eggs in the early summer, which hatch in the late summer or early fall.

Defense

The long-nosed snake is not apt to bite, but will release a foul smelling musk and blood from the

cloaca In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, a ...

as a defense mechanism if harassed.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of the long-nosed snake are

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

, grassland,

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, and savanna.

Geographic range

''R. lecontei'' is found in northern Mexico from

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

, and into the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

, in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

,T. Robyn captured, identified, and released one near Lawton, Oklahoma, 2010. and Texas. www.reptile-database.org.

Subspecies

*Western long-nosed snake, ''Rhinocheilus lecontei lecontei'' *Texas long-nosed snake, ''

Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus :''Common names: Texas long-nosed snake.'' ''Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus'' is a subspecies of nonvenomous colubrid snake, which is native to the western United States and northern Mexico. Geographic range ''R. l. tessellatus'' is found in ...

In captivity

The long-nosed snake is not often found in the exotic pet trade as it frequently rejects rodent-based diets that are most readily available for captive snakes.

References

External links

USGS: ''Rhinocheilus lecontei''
*
NatureServe Explorer: w/ 2 RangeMaps: ''Rhinocheilus lecontei.''
Click "DISTRIBUTION" for maps.

* Baird SF, Girard C (1853). ''Catalogue of North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part I.—Serpents.'' Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution. xvi + 172 pp. (''Rhinocheilus'', new genus, p. 120; ''R. lecontei'', new species, pp. 120–121). * Behler JL, King FW (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', pp. 649-650 + Plates 593, 609). * Conant, Roger, Bridges, William (1939). ''What Snake Is That? A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains''. (With 108 drawings by

Edmond Malnate Edmond is a given name related to Edmund. Persons named Edmond include: * Edmond Canaple (1797–1876), French politician * Edmond Chehade (born 1993), Lebanese footballer * Edmond Conn (1914–1998), American farmer, businessman, and politici ...

). New York and London: D. Appleton-Century Company. Frontispiece map + viii + 163 pp. + Plates A-C, 1-32. (''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', p. 86 + Plate 14, Figure 41). * Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. . (''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', pp. 392-393 + Plate 37). * Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback). (''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', pp. 164–165). * Stebbins RC (2003). ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition''. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. xiii + 533 pp. (paperback). (''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', pp. 370–371 + Plate 44 + Map 155). * Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Genus ''Rhinocheilus'', p. 630-633 + Figure 19 on p. 69). (species ''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', pp. 633–644, Figures 183-187, Map 48). * Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). ''Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide''. Revised Edition. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. ("LONG-NOSED SNAKE", ''Rhinocheilus lecontei'', pp. 101, 156). {{Taxonbar, from=Q2021215 Rhinocheilus Fauna of the Southwestern United States Reptiles of the United States Fauna of the Western United States Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles described in 1853 Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard