Rhinocheilus lecontei
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The long-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei) is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. It has two recognized subspecies. The other species in the genus were previously considered subspecies.
The specific name, lecontei, commemorates American entomologist John Lawrence Le Conte (1825–1883). The long-nosed snake is distinguished by a long, slightly upturned snout, which is the origin of its common name. It is tricolor, vaguely resembling a coral snake, with black and red saddling on a yellow or cream-colored background. Cream-colored spots within the black saddles are a distinct characteristic of the long-nosed snake. It differs from all other harmless snakes in the United States by having undivided subcaudal scales. The total length (including tail) of adults is usually 22–32 in (56–81 cm), but the maximum record total length is 41 in (100 cm).
R. lecontei is a shy, nocturnal burrowing snake. It spends most of its time buried underground. The long-nosed snake feeds on lizards, amphibians, and sometimes smaller snakes and infrequently rodents. R. lecontei... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Children's Aquarium at Fair Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-nosed Snake sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Long-nosed Snake in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-nosed Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Long-nosed Snake sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Bend National Park (United States, about 20%), Saguaro National Park (United States, about 20%) and Death Valley National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Long-nosed Snake that you can see in Joshua Tree National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Gopher Snake (about 30%), Coachwhip (about 30%) and Western Patch-nosed Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-nosed Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Joshua Tree National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
