Description: A medium-sized (total length: 50 - 90 cm [20 - 36 in.]), light
cream- to tan-colored snake with small blotches (tan or gray with dark edges) down the center of the dorsum. The head is narrow. The ventral surface is plain white or buff and unmarked. The scales are smooth and shiny, but the colors generally have the appearance of being faded. This species resembles a slender, faded gopher snake (Pituophis melanoleucus), but the scales of the gopher snake are keeled (i.e., not smooth). Glossy snakes are primarily nocturnal.
Diet: Feeds on small mammals, lizards, and possibly birds, all of which are killed by constriction prior to eating.
Habitat: Mojave desert scrub and salt desert scrub habitats with open sandy surfaces, scattered brush, and rocky areas, extending into Joshua tree and grassland habitats up to about 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in elevation.
Range: Southwestern U.S. from California to Texas, and from Nebraska to Mexico. The subspecies present in Clark County, Nevada, is the Desert
glossy snake (Arizona elegans eburnata). It occurs in southern Nevada and southeastern California.
Comments: Also known as the “Faded Snake” due to its faded appearance.