Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I found an 8 inch snake in the foot hills of Vegas today at about 630pm. It LOOKED like it was glowing green in the setting sun. It has tan and med. brown bands that are broken up, the last quarter inch to 3/8s inch of its tail is dark black with what I think is one button. It did not rattle or strike. It has large eyes for its size (but I am used to pythons)and a long forked tounge. Short looking snout, heavier body type except neck, and it propels itself like a worm (dont kinow the proper term of locomotion)when it does move. Its seems to like to stay sedentary he only moved around when he move to the collectrion container I had.

Can you help me identify this creature with out a picture at this time?

The tan bands are 2-3 times wider than the brown.

Heres a picture of a mojave that was found in arizona....did the tail have black and white alternating bands jsut before the rattle? If it did not..it wasnt a mojave or a western diamondback

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Kevin

It didnt look banded, but it was only 8- 81/2 inches long. Do these develop as they grow?

No....if the tail isn't "coon-tailed" (i.e. black and white banded), then the snake you saw is not a Mojave. They are "coon-tailed" from birth.

-AzAtrox

the coloring you speak of seems like a sidewinder...WHen it moved did it move sideways..different then normal snakes..which move in a more forward manner

also..did the eyes have "horns" of sorts above them..making the eye appear larger?

Here is a picture of a sidewinder that would inhabit your area

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Kevin

here is another picture that shows the head better

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Kevin

Sounds more like a panamint or maybe some variety of specled, but I don't know much about their ranges.

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/pages/ltpanamint.jpg
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/pages/mit_pyrhus.jpg

Heres a spec for you...
Lateralis