Compare two species

Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake vs. Mountain Patch-nosed Snake

They meet where the valleys of southeastern Arizona climb into the mountains (Big Bend below, Mountain above about 4,500 ft). A: The lip scales do not reach the eye: one or two small scales sit between them and the eye in the Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake; the 6th upper lip scale reaches up and touches the eye in the Mountain Patch-nosed Snake. B: Narrow: only on the 3rd scale row (3rd and 4th near the neck) in the Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake; broad: covers the 2nd, 3rd and 4th scale rows, sometimes part of the 1st in the Mountain Patch-nosed Snake. Rows from the owner's table. The lip-scale check needs a close look at the side of the head; a sharp phone photo will do.

Open this comparison in Wildsight

Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake

Salvadora deserticola

Mountain Patch-nosed Snake

Salvadora grahamiae

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison