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Desert nightsnake

Hypsiglena chlorophaea · Snakes · Reptiles

Desert nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea): Smooth scales and many dark blotches above, the largest and most conspicuous on the neck (CPW). Pupil vertically elongate, like a cat's; 19-21 scale rows at midbody; divided anal scale (CPW). This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Hypsiglena chlorophaea
Family
Colubridae
In North America
Native
Range
South-central British Columbia south through Washington, Oregon, southern Idaho, eastern California, Nevada, Utah and western Colorado to Arizona, northeastern Baja California and northwestern mainland Mexico (NatureServe).
Biology

How to identify it

Smooth scales and many dark blotches above, the largest and most conspicuous on the neck (CPW). [1][2][3]

Pupil vertically elongate, like a cat's; 19-21 scale rows at midbody; divided anal scale (CPW). [1][2][3]

Extra scale in front of the eye behind the nostril separates it from the Chihuahuan nightsnake (CPW). [1][2][3]

Maximum about 62 cm (24 in) total length (CPW). [1][2][3]

Compared with the chihuahuan nightsnake: Lacks the extra scale in front of the eye, behind the nostril (CPW). [1][2][3]

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a desert nightsnake before you act. Compared with the chihuahuan nightsnake: Lacks the extra scale in front of the eye, behind the nostril (CPW).[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Arid and semiarid plains, canyons and hillsides, usually rocky, dissected terrain with sandy or gravelly soil, including desert, grassland, shrubland and woodland (NatureServe; CPW). [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Exclusively nocturnal and rarely seen; mildly venomous but not dangerous to humans (CPW). [1][2][3]

Spends most of its time under rocks, in crevices or in rodent burrows; found under rocks mainly in mild weather of spring, late summer and fall (CPW). [1][2][3]

Eats mainly lizards and lizard eggs, sometimes small snakes, frogs, insects and salamanders (NatureServe; CPW). [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

South-central British Columbia south through Washington, Oregon, southern Idaho, eastern California, Nevada, Utah and western Colorado to Arizona, northeastern Baja California and northwestern mainland Mexico (NatureServe).

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. Colorado Parks and Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Colorado Parks and Wildlife

  3. Idaho Department of Fish and Game · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Idaho Department of Fish and Game