Description: A medium-sized (total length: 60 - 90 cm [24 - 36 in.]) snake with alternating red, black, and yellow bands on the dorsum. The ventral surface is pale with dark spots. The dark dorsal bands are flecked with cream, and the red and cream bands are flecked with black. Sometimes the red flecking is very faint. The snout is pointed, and the head is long and only slightly wider than the neck. In southern Nevada, other species of red, black, and light banded snakes do not have the black and white flecking as seen in this species. Western
long-nosed snakes are primarily crepuscular in habit, but will assume nocturnal activity in hot weather.
Diet: Feeds on lizards and small mammals, all of which are killed by
constriction.
Habitat: Mojave desert scrub and salt desert scrub habitats with open sandy surfaces and scattered brush; also found in rocky areas below 1,525 m (5,000 ft) in elevation.
Range: The species occurs from Nebraska to Idaho to California, and southward into central Mexico. This subspecies occurs in the Great Basin, central California, and southern Arizona, and is widely distributed in Clark County, Nevada, in the appropriate habitat.