A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Click on a picture for a larger view

California Shovel-nosed Snakes - Chionactis

And Comparisons With Similar Snakes

Not Dangerous (Non-poisonous)
Shovel-nosed Snakes do not have venom that is dangerous to most humans.

Small, harmless, nocturnal snakes of open sandy deserts, rocky washes. Found mostly at night, often on desert roads.

Three subspecies are found in California. Check the range map to determine which one is in your area.

This snake, especially the Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake, might look like the venomous coral snake (it has red saddles touching yellow saddles), but Coral Snakes have full bands instead of saddles and there are no Coral Snakes found in California.

The long, flat snout will help differentiate this snake from other similar snakes - the Long-nosed snake, the Variable Groundsnake, and even the Variable Sandsnake, which may occur in California in the same habitat as the Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake.

The snout is long and shovel-like

Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake
Chionactis annulata annulata

Mojave Shovel-nosed Snake
Chionactis occipitalis

Range

Blue: Chionactis occipitalis annulata -
Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake

Red: Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis -
Mohave Shovel-nosed Snake

Similar Species

Shovel-nosed Snake
The head is long and flattened

California Kingsnake - Lampropeltis californiae

The California Kingsnake is much larger and its bands are less rounded, more triangular. The head is not long and flattened. Head markings are different.

Shovel-nosed Snake
The head is long and flattened

Long-nosed Snake - Rhinocheilus lecontei

The Long-nosed Snake is larger in size and the bands are typically black and red, with no bands inbetween. Some have only black and white bands, but the bands are much wider. The nose is long but not as flattened, and the head markings are much different.

Variable Groundsnake California Range Map

Shovel-nosed Snake
The head is long and flattened

Variable Groundsnake - Sonora semiannulata semiannulata

Groundsnake
The head is not long and flattened

This species has been reported from the extreme southeast corner of the state where it occurs just across the Colorado River, but its presence has not been confirmed.

Variable Sand Snake - Chilomeniscus stramineus

Species Comparisons

Shovel-nosed Snake and
Variable Groundsnake

Shovel-nosed Snake and
Variable Sand Snake

Variable Sand Snake and
Variable Groundsnake

Variable Groundsnake and
Black-headed snake

Comparison of the 3 subspecies of Chionactis in California, along with the similar sympatric species - Sonora semiannulata, and the similar possibly sympatric species - Chilomeniscus stramineus *
	Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis annulata annulata	Mojave Shovel-nosed Snake Chionactis occipitalis	Variable Groundsnake Sonora semiannulata semiannulata	Variable Sand Snake Chilomeniscus stramineus
Dark Primary Crossbands	Black Many crossing belly	Brown, Most not crossing belly		19 - 49
Secondary Dark Crossbands	No	No In northern populations, dark scales are present in light spaces between the broad bands which may form brownish secondary bands
Red Crossbands	Usually narrow red bands between black bands	Some faint red coloring may be present in light areas
Scale Rows	Usually 15 rows	Usually 15 rows	15 scale rows towards front
Internasal Scales	Not separated by rostral	Not separated by rostral	Not separated by rostral	Separated by rostral
Head	Slightly wider than neck	Slightly wider than neck	Slightly wider than neck	Not wider than neck
Snout	Flattened	Flattened	Less Flattened	Flattened
Lower Jaw	Countersunk	Countersunk	Not Countersunk	Countersunk
Dorsal Scales			Dark pigment at base of most dorsal scales, especially noticable on sides
* Based on information from: Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Snakes of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Brennan, Thomas C., & Andrew T. Holycross. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department, 2006.

Return to the Top