Fun Long-nosed Snake Facts For Kids

An indigenous reptile species of Central-North America, the long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), belonging to the order Squamata, is extremely coy and docile. The snake is nocturnal, where the majority of its activities commence in the darkness of the night. They are adept at hiding by digging burrows and prefer to stay aloof inside these underground burrows.

The instinct of most snakes is to hiss or coil up, but in this context, these reptiles have a bizarre way of reacting to harassment. Unlike other snakes, the defense mechanism in these snakes is unique as they do not indulge in aggressive moves and bite.

When these nonvenomous snakes feel threatened or are troubled in any way, they engage in writhing and twisting their body along with vibrating the tail, ultimately defecating or releasing a foul odor with blood through the cloaca out of fear and nervousness.

The four subspecies of the long-nosed snake are the Isla Cerralvo long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei etheridgei) subspecies, the western long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei lecontei) subspecies, the Texas long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus) subspecies, and lastly, the Mexican long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei antonii) subspecies.

Here are some engaging, lesser-known facts about the long-nosed snake. Also, don't forget to check out these fun facts about the Smooth Earth Snake and rattlesnake.

Long-Nosed Snake Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a long-nosed snake?

The long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei) is a snake species.

What class of animal does a long-nosed snake belong to?

The species belongs to the class Reptilia, genus Rhinocheilus.

How many long-nosed snakes are there in the world?

Although there's no concrete evidence to offer a glimpse of the accurate number of long-nosed snakes (R. lecontei), the populations have been estimated at more than 100,000 within their geographical range.

Where does a long-nosed snake live?

The species is extensively found in the southwestern parts of the United States of America and Mexico. They can be traced in several places like south-western Kansas, Nevada, Texas, western Utah, southern Virginia, northern parts of Baja California and California, Idaho, southern Tamaulipas, Arizona, southeastern Colorado, and Oklahoma.

In northern Mexico, they can be found in Chihuahua to San Luis Potosí. Records state that these snakes have been identified near the rocky surfaces of the Red Hills Prairie as well as the High Plains.

What is a long-nosed snake's habitat?

The habitat range of these colubrid snakes includes thornbush, desert, shrubland, dry prairies, chaparral, and also river valley, and grassland. They can be seldom found in oak-hackberry woodlands or near lakes and streams as they mainly dwell in rocky or dry regions and tend to avoid densely forested areas.

The habitat of these snakes mostly encompasses tropical regions with elevations under 5400 ft (1645.9 m).

Who do long-nosed snakes live with?

Generally, the social behavior of these reptiles makes them solitary dwellers. They do not form groups or stay with their mating partners. It can be inferred that the long-nosed snake (R. lecontei) is a loner too.

How long does a long-nosed snake live?

The long-nosed snakes enjoy a life span of about 12 - 20 years in the wilderness.

How do they reproduce?

Little information about the breeding habits of the species is known. However, these snakes are oviparous. In the months of early summer, the female lays around four to nine eggs by constructing the nest inside holes or burrows on the ground.

The nests are built mostly in well-aerated, moist, and loose soils. The snakelets hatch between August and September. Once a snakelet emerges out of its eggs by biting the eggshell off, it feeds either on small reptiles and rodents or derives nutrition from the egg yolk.

What is their conservation status?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categorizes the long-nose snakes (R. lecontei) under the Least Concern category, which implies that these reptiles are prevalent in ample numbers within their natural habitat. As per records, the population trend of the species portrays a stable growth. However, their numbers have not been quantified.

As per the IUCN, no major threats have been identified that can cause potential damages to the habitat and survival of these snakes. Some human actions like urbanization, conversion of land for agricultural uses, and large-scale industrialization that can lead to habitat loss have been considered.

Long-Nosed Snake Fun Facts

What do long-nosed snakes look like?

The body of the long-nosed snake comes in tricolor, that is, a combination of black, red, and white in bands. All snakes might not possess the red. They have a cream or yellow-colored banding underneath.

Due to the similar banding pattern, the species is often wrongly identified as coral snakes. The species can be distinguished from the coral snakes by their significantly long, upturned snout and differing color sequence.

Another feature that separates the long-nosed snake from other nonvenomous snakes of North America is their subcaudal scales that are specifically undivided. These reptiles have a medium but slender body length and rounded pupils. These snakes look glamorous with their smooth tricolored scales.

How cute are they?

A vast majority of people do not consider reptiles to be cute. With their coarse, slimy, or scaly skin texture, they fail to qualify as appealing or cute to many, even if they possess a colorful body. To top that, the idea of reptiles imparts a violent image (although some are absolutely docile in reality).

How do they communicate?

The species is known to communicate through movements rather than sounds. Snakes generally interact with the help of pheromones. Sounds like hissing is common vocalization, but these sounds are mostly made when the snakes recoil in defense.

How big is a long-nosed snake?

Long-nosed snakes are small to moderate in length ranging more than 3 ft (90 cm). They are pretty small when compared to the nonvenomous reticulated python standing at an average length range of 32 ft (975.3 cm).

How fast can a long-nosed snake move?

The speed range of this species is yet to be unraveled. However, snakes are generally very swift and slithery in motion, so it can be said that these snakes are agile in their movements.

How much does a long-nosed snake weigh?

The weight range of the species is currently unknown due to the dearth of research materials. These snakes cannot be traced easily as they like to stay hidden in crevices of rocks or underground burrows. However, it might be inferred that these snakes are not too bulky owing to their slender shape and medium size.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Since neither genders of the species have special attributions, they are plainly referred to as a male and female long-nosed snake respectively.

What would you call a baby long-nosed snake?

Like all other baby snakes, the long-nosed snake baby is regarded as a hatchling, neonate, or even a snakelet.

What do they eat?

These snakes are carnivorous. The diet of the long-nosed snake includes both reptiles and amphibians. The diet mainly comprises amphibians, lizard eggs, lizards such as the Texas horned lizards, and also small snakes. They sparsely prey on rodents. Since the snakes don't have teeth, they can swallow up a lizard whole.

Are they poisonous?

Normally, oblong-shaped pupils are closely associated with dangerous venomous snakes. These North American snakes are not at all poisonous, and they possess rounded pupils.

In addition, they are absolutely non-aggressive and do not even bite when terrified (aptly called shy! ), and often slip into hiding. However, interaction with snakes must be avoided, especially when there is a lack of snake-handling training and expertise.

Would they make a good pet?

The species is rarely available in the pet trade, where reptile breeders or specialized reptile stores put them up for sale. Reptiles and amphibians kept under captivity are prone to several problems related to health and habitat as they are estranged from their natural habitat and kept in artificially constructed spaces.

Regurgitation and anorexia are very common in snakes. Some other health issues include mouth rot, pneumonia, dysecdysis, and acariasis.

These snakes are generally not kept captive and reared as pets.

Additionally, snakes are not a good option for families with children who have little to no knowledge about these animals. Moreover, wild reptiles and amphibians must not be removed from their natural range of habitat and kept in homes as pets no matter how cute they look.

Did you know...

The distinct long, upturned snout of these snakes has rendered the name of a long-nosed snake to the species.

Unlike the long-nosed snake of North America, the Sri Lankan long-nosed vine snake also called the long-nosed whip snake (Ahaetulla nasuta), is mildly venomous. The latter possesses a green slender body (lacking the pattern of colorful bands), helping the snakes to camouflage by hiding amongst tree leaves and bushes.

These snakes are somewhat tolerant towards cold temperatures, but hibernation during the freezing months has been identified as the general behavior of these reptiles.

These reptiles attain maturity at two to four years of age, and after entering adulthood, they shed off their skin once or twice annually.

These snakes use their tongue to identify different smells. They do not have external ears visible to the eyes and, therefore quite nonchalant to sounds, but they have the potential to feel vibrations. That's how they can identify predators looming in the vicinity.

If you get lucky, you might come across one of these snakes in a warm and cozy night while it makes its way towards its underground burrow after foraging.

What is the difference between a long-nosed snake and a California kingsnake?

The two species, i.e., the long-nosed snake and the California kingsnake, differ distinctly in their appearance. While the long-nosed snake possesses red to orange irises, the California kingsnake's eyes are black or black-white.

When compared with the California kingsnakes and other kingsnakes, the former has a longer and pointier nose. The California kingsnakes possess black bands throughout their body. On the other hand, when contrasted with the long-nosed snake, Arizona mountain kingsnakes have thin bands of cream, white, and yellow all over their body.

Is the long-nosed snake endemic?

These snakes are endemic to numerous regions within the range of North America. They can be specifically traced in the southwestern and south-central regions of the US, including California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, right up to Mexico.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these dice snake facts and golden-tailed gecko facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable long nosed Snake coloring pages.