Dipsadidae
Desert Nightsnake
Hypsiglena chlorophaea
A closer look
Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea) is native to 9 U.S. jurisdictions, including Arizona, California, and Colorado. This slender, mostly nocturnal rear-fanged hunter is most often associated with rocky slopes, canyon walls, scrub, woodland, and sheltered crevices and typically feeds on lizards, frogs, small mammals, and other small vertebrates.
- Habitat
- Rocky slopes, canyon walls, scrub, woodland, and sheltered crevices
- On the menu
- Lizards, frogs, small mammals, and other small vertebrates
- Behavior
- A mostly secretive ground hunter that spends much of its time under cover.
Rear-fanged and not generally considered medically significant, but any wild snake can bite. Do not handle.
Safety & bite guidance ↗Where it is listed
A sense of place.
Checklist presence only. A highlighted state is not a local range boundary. Territory tiles are schematic.
State & territory checklist
About continuous range data
A verified habitat-model layer is not available for this species in this release. Earlier broad sketches connected jurisdiction locations; they did not show measured occurrence or USGS habitat predictions.
Use USGS distribution resources ↗ for available modeled habitat data.
Names, sources & image evidence
Also known as: No additional names recorded.
Taxonomy: reviewed. Territory checklist entries may be provisional. Field descriptions include broad group-level natural-history summaries.
Research Grade iNaturalist observation 49149268 has taxon Hypsiglena chlorophaea, matched through the accepted name
Conservation & local rules
Collection, possession, relocation, and protection rules vary by state and territory. Check the relevant wildlife agency before taking action. Leave wild snakes where they are.