General Description: A thin, gray snake with two dark stripes down the back bordered by narrower dark stripes on the sides; a single large scale on the tip of the snout.

Taxonomy: Colubrid Snakes Family (Colubridae)

Technical Description: A medium length (to about 40 inches), slim snake with a broad light stripe down the center of the back bordered by black stripes on both sides. Dorsal stripes sometimes obscure. Ventral color pinkish to white. Rostral scale very large. Dorsal scales smooth. Anal scale divided.

Diet: Small mammals, lizards, and reptile eggs.

Habitat: Inhabits a broad range of desert habitats including Creosote-Bursage Flats, Mojave Desert Scrub, and Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands.

Range: The species ranges from northwest Nevada south into Mexico. This species occurs in Nevada, southeast California, and northwest Arizona south to just south of the tip of Nevada.

Breeding: Lays 4-10 eggs during spring and summer.

Similar Species: No other snake in southern Nevada has a similar pattern of stripes.

Comments: This active, diurnal snake is frequently seen crossing roads during the heat of the day.