Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last month I was on a croos country trip from NC to CA. When we were in either Arizona or New Mexico, I found a very odd little snake under an old newspaper behind a motel six. It looked like
a two-striped garter snake on first look, but when I picked it up and examined it, I found it was not. The pupils were vertical, like a night snake, and the head was narrow and triangular and came to a sharp point at the nose. The head was black. Scales were keeled. Any idea as to what this little guy could be? When I was walking back to the hotel room with him he wriggled out of my hands and dissapeared into some grass outside the lobby. He was not in the least way aggressive, but he did open his mouth at me a few times. The inside was blackish-blue, like a mamba. Ive looked in field guides and cannot find the identity of this odd little snake. Maybe he was just a strange looking two-lined garter snake, because thats exactly what he looked like on first glance. Any suggestions?

Since they don't get out of western California.

Depending where in AZ/NM you were, it could have been a wandering garter (T. elegans), or even a Mexican Garter (T. eques), but that doesn't seem that likely.
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Chris Harrison

it could be a number of things. But going by all your descriptions, it's hard to pinpoint what it is. You said vertical pupils, but garters don't have those. Maybe you were mistaken? It could be a lined snake, blackneck garter (they have a gray head), lyre snake (vertical pupils) and that's about all I can think of...
Snakes of Eddy County, NM

http://www.reptilesofaz.com/herp-snakes.html

Very nice site with patterns on it to look at. Your description sounds to me like a patchnose except for the vertical eyes

It definately had vertical pupils, I remember those so well because they made me sorta nervous. Got me thinking it might be venomous.