Western Patch-nosed Snake vs. North American Racer

Both are slim, fast, smooth-scaled snakes that hunt by day with the head held high; their records overlap in the southern Coast Ranges and southern California. A: A broad pale stripe down the middle, bordered by dark stripes in the Western Patch-nosed Snake; plain, no stripes in the North American Racer. B: A big curved patch-like scale over the tip in the Western Patch-nosed Snake; ordinary snout scales in the North American Racer. Young racers are blotched, not striped.

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

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