1. Home
  2. Cities & Towns
  3. Phoenix

Western Shovel-nosed Snake

Maricopa County Snake - Mildly Venomous

From Judy Hedding, About.com

If you have taken a photo of a snake in Maricopa County (Greater Phoenix area) and you'd like to submit the picture to this photo gallery, here's how you do it.
Western Shovel-nosed Snake © Dr. Brendan P. O'Connor, used with permission. Some descriptions obtained from AZ PARC.
The Western Shovel-nosed Snake (Chionactis occipitalis) is a small snake of up to 15 inches. It spends most of its time under sand or in sandy soil. The venom of the Western Shovel-nosed Snake is usually not especially dangerous.

A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County will help you to learn more about and identify snakes that are found in central Arizona.

  1. Home
  2. Cities & Towns
  3. Phoenix

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.