Night Snake

The Night snake is a mildly venomous species of rear-fanged colubrid found in North America. It is pale gray, light brown, or beige in color, with dark grey or brown blotches on the back and sides. The head of this snake is rather flat and triangular-shaped and usually has a pair of dark brown blotches on the neck. It also has a black or dark brown bar behind the eyes that contrasts against the white or pale gray upper labial scales and the pupil of the eye is vertical. The belly is white or yellowish. Females are usually longer and heavier than males.

Night snakes are found throughout the southwestern and western United States, as well as Mexico and British Columbia, Canada. They live in many different types of habitat including grasslands, deserts, sagebrush flats, chaparral, woodlands, thorn scrub, thorn forest, and mountain meadows. Night snakes are generally solitary. They are known to be both crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk), and nocturnal often seen crossing roads at night. During the day they shelter under rocks, boards, dead branches, and other surface litter. They are also known to inhabit mammal burrows. During cold winter months, Night snakes hibernate often with rattlesnakes and are known to aestivate during periods of the summer. They are generally most active from April to October, with peaks of activity usually occurring in June. Although Night snakes pose no threat to humans, they are slightly venomous and use this venom to subdue their prey. If threatened, they may coil up and thrust their coils at the threat, while flattening the head into a triangular defensive shape. Night snakes are carnivores and feed primarily on lizards and their eggs. Other prey includes juvenile rattlesnakes and blind snakes, salamanders, frogs, and large insects.