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Long-nosed snake

Rhinocheilus lecontei · Snakes · Reptiles

Long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei): Smooth scales, a single anal scale and a generally white, unpatterned belly; at least half of the underside tail scales are not divided. Yellowish or cream ground colour with 18-35 black blotches separated by pink or reddish interspaces; tail has 6-17 blotches. 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
Rhinocheilus lecontei
Family
Colubridae
In North America
Native
Range
Northern California, southern Idaho, Utah, southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas south to central Baja California, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas; below sea level to about 1,900 m. Not found in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Smooth scales, a single anal scale and a generally white, unpatterned belly; at least half of the underside tail scales are not divided. [1][2]

Yellowish or cream ground colour with 18-35 black blotches separated by pink or reddish interspaces; tail has 6-17 blotches. [1][2]

Adults usually 56-76 cm, maximum about 104 cm; rostrum protrudes (used for burrowing). [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Deserts, dry prairies, arid river valleys, thornbrush and shrubland; sometimes oak-hackberry woodland. [1][2]

Rocky and sandy areas. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Nocturnal; retreats to underground burrows or under rocks by day and burrows deep in winter; active about April-September. [1][2]

Eats lizards and their eggs, small snakes, small mammals and sometimes birds. [1][2]

Mates in spring; lays 4-11 eggs June-August, hatching in 2-3 months. [1][2]

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

Northern California, southern Idaho, Utah, southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas south to central Baja California, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas; below sea level to about 1,900 m. Not found in Canada.

Biology

Sources

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

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. Fort Hays State University · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Fort Hays State University