Alternate Name(s):

Venom Status:

Non Venomous

Characteristics:

Slender, secretive, and nocturnal. Adult at 2 to 2 ½ feet. Handle carefully. Ground color gray to brown with darker brown banding. Banding is broad dorsally and narrows laterally. Top of head usually without lyre shaped figure. Dark blotched gray to brown belly. Elliptical pupils. Hides by day beneath boulders or in rock crevices. Emerges to forage at night. Oviparous. Hatchlings like adults but more brightly patterned. Scales are smooth. Usually reluctant to bite but handle carefully.

Unique Features:

Top of head not strongly patterned, pupils elliptical.

Habitat and Diet:

Rocky mountain slopes, hillsides, canyons, with or without shrubs and brush. Primary prey is lizards but nestling rodents and birds may also be eaten.

Geographic Range:

TX, NM