Snakes of the Mojave Desert

1
Snakes of the Mojave Desert

• Pathfinder 2011

2
Species

• Red Racer
• Desert Rosy Boa
• Mojave Rattlesnake
• Gopher Snake
• Mojave Desert Sidewinder

3
Red Racer (Masticophis flagellum piceus)
4
Distinguishing Characteristics

• Have large scales above eyes
• Very long
• Some specimens have been as long as 8.5 feet
• More commonly between 4 and 6 feet in length

• Move very quickly
• Color
• Is most commonly Yellowish-Green (outside of
  California)
• Can be Red, Gray, or be Striped
• Often turn more reddish as they age

5
Up Close and Personal
6
Red Racer is their Pen-name

• Yes, they are actually Red Coachwhips, but they
  are colloquially called Red Racers
• Why coachwhip? Look at their tail!
• But they move so fast you cant usually see it
  So Red Racer it is!

7
More Importantly, Will it Eat You?

• No! The Red Racer is Non-Venemous
• It is considered harmless to humans

• However, you should not corner or attempt to
  handle this snake it is known to strike
  aggressively

8
If it is Non-Venemous, How Does it Hunt?

• Relies on speed
• Holds head high above ground
• Prey is killed by force of strike or weight of
  the body
• It does not, however, constrict its prey

9
What Does it Eat?

• Small mammals
• Birds
• Bird Eggs
• Lizards
• Other Snakes
• Frogs/Toads
• Roadkill or Carrion

10
Habitat

• Like to climb
• Often found near rocks and small bushes
• Inhabits burrows
• Dislikes dense vegetation

• Desert
• Open grassland
• Sagebrush
• Sandy
• Rocky
• Thrives in drier environments

11
Range
12
Other Facts

• Lays eggs at the end of spring
• Eggs hatch in 50-65 days
• Hatchlings are only a foot long at birth
• Not currently endangered
• Active During the Day

13
Desert Rosy Boa
14
Characteristics

• Female is usually larger than the male
• Have three stripes running down their length
• One is dorsal
• The other two are lateral
• Stripes are dark (usually red) on a lighter
  (usually cream) background

• Heavy-bodied
• Usually not longer than 3 feet
• Have a very small head
• Smooth scales

15
How/What Does it Eat

• It is a boa, so it constricts its prey
• Non-venemous
• Very passive snake
• Generally does not strike (but dont take your
  chances)
• Frequently kept as pets

• Eats
• Small Rodents
• Small Birds
• Amphibians
• Lizards
• Small Snakes

16
Behavior

• Active at dawn and dusk and temperate nights
• During very hot or cold months, stays underground
• Ground dweller
• Sometimes rolls into a ball and hides head when
  threatened

17
Habitat and Range

• Arid and semi-arid shrublands
• Rocky deserts
• Canyons
• Really likes rocks

18
Breeding

• Give birth to live young!
• Young are born from October to November

19
Mojave Rattlesnake
20
What to Look For

• Usually 18-40 inches
• Has a thick body with a thin neck and triangular
  head
• Large scales on head
• Greenish gray, tan, yellow, brown, or olive green
  (hence Mojave Greens)

• Heat pits on sides of head
• Elliptical pupils
• Light stripe from eye to corner of mouth
• Raised (keeled scales)

21
What to Look/Listen For if You Dont Want to Get
Bit

• A short, thick snake
• A distinctive black, diamond-shaped pattern on
  the snakes back
• Listen Can you hear a loud, frightening sort of
  rattle?

22
How to Get Bitten

• Walk silently through the underbrush
• Chase/corner a mojave rattlesnake
• Stick your arm/leg/body/head into dark burrows,
  caves, or holes (or anywhere you cant see)
• Provoke a basking snake (poke it with a stick,
  etc.)
• Walk around at night
• Touch dead snakes (yes they still reflexively
  bite when dead!!!)

23
Are They Dangerous?

• Yes.
• Especially juveniles, as they are born without
  rattles (you cant hear them) and they usually
  inject more venom

24
Behavior/Hunting Technique

• Primarily active at night
• Uses highly developed heat-sensing pits help
  locate mammals
• Hold rattle off ground when moving

• Strike at prey and draw back
• Follow prey by smell
• Wait for venom to do its work
• Can re-grow fangs if they break or are pulled out

25
That Said, What do They Eat?

• Small mammals
• Mice
• Rats
• Rabbits
• Ground Squirrels
• Occasionally
• Toads
• Lizards
• Snakes

26
Habitat, Breeding, and Range

• Grassland
• Desert underbrush
• Rocky slopes
• Light chaparral
• Bears live young from July to September

27
(Great Basin) Gopher Snake
28
Telltale Characteristics

• Very keeled scales (rough)
• 2.5-7 feet long
• Most commonly under 5 feet
• Large rostral scale on snout

• Color
• Cream
• Black splotches down back
• Smaller splotches along sides
• Neck is pale in south and mottled in north

29
Behavior

• Active all the time
• Good at climbing, burrowing, and swimming
• Will puff up/flatten its body to appear larger
  and shake tail (produces a rattling sound in dry
  vegetation)

30
Hunting

• Constricts its prey
• Hunts underground (in burrows, etc.)
• Will squish prey against sides of burrow to kill

• Eats
• Small mammals
• Likes pocket gophers
• Birds
• Bird Eggs
• Lizards
• Insects

31
Range and Reproduction

• Breed in the spring
• Lays eggs from June to August
• Young hatch two to three months later

32
Mojave Desert Sidewinder
33
How to Distinguish From a Rattlesnake

• It is a rattlesnake!
• It has a horn-like scale over each eye
• Keeled scales
• Thick, short snake
• Pits on the side of head for heat-sensing

• Has a rattle
• Distinctive sideways movement
• Wide range of colors
• Color is based off of snakes habitat
• Dark blotches on back
• Cream, tan, brown, pink, or gray

34
Venemous? Horned Scales?

• Yes, this is a type of rattlesnake
• The horns are thought to bend down to protect the
  eyes when the snake goes underground

35
Hunting, Behavior, and Movement

• Ambushes prey by
• Burying itself under loose sand
• Only head is exposed
• Near Kangaroo rat trails
• Behaves like a rattlesnake

• Moves by
• Throws itself sideways
• Uses curves in body to push itself
• Leaves J-shaped imprints on the ground
• Imprints are 45 degrees to direction of movement

36
Sidewinding
37
Diet, Habitat, and Range

• Eats
• Lizards when young
• Increasing size of prey with snake -- up to small
  rodents (rats, ground squirrels)
• Habitat
• Really likes sandy areas with sparser vegetation

38
And Those, My Friends, Were the Mojave Desert
Snakes

• Just Remember
• Do not get bitten by a rattlesnake or the
  sidewinder
• Watch where youre stepping (sidewinders bury
  themselves!)
• When it comes to holes If you cant see whats
  in it, dont stick anything in it.
• Respect their space and theyll respect you.
  Besides then youll live to tell a cool story!

39
If You Get Bitten

• Stay Calm
• Call for Help
• Try Not to Move (Especially large muscle groups,
  ie. walking)
• Try to Stop any Bleeding at Strike Point
• Tourniquet the Limb (if you can)
• Remember What the Snake Looked Like
• Call 911 -- You Need the Anti-Venom