• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

What kind of snake is this?

A

axeman

New member
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Messages
180
Reaction score
13
Points
0
Age
57
Location
Glendale,Az.
A little history first. I work for a Fire dept in the Phoenix area. We get calls for snake removals. Last night we get called to an apartment complex for a snake removal. About 85% of the snake calls are for Rattlesnakes. The rest are for mostly Bullsnakes or occasionally Kingsnakes; even less occasionally Red racers, Shovelnose and Nightsnakes. . Last night I came across this. It doesn't look like any of the snakes we have caught in the past (not talking about color here, just body). The nose looks more pointy than all of those others. On a local website, there is a snake that has the same shape nose and tail as this snake, and is colored very similar to a Cal King (black with white rings).It is called a "Long Nosed Snake". I tried to call the local Herp societies, but no answer. I decided to see if it would eat, and low and behold it took a frozen thawed mouse fuzzy. Took it by the nose and started swallowing, no constricting. If this is someones pet, I don't want to turn it loose into the wild. I didn't have anywhere to turn it loose last night when we caught it so I took it back to the station.

BTW this is only about 18" long and the mouse fuzzy left a decent sized lump in the snake. Not too big. Very calm last night when cold, but it is a little flighty today.


Any help would be appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • Edge2.jpg
    Edge2.jpg
    205.2 KB · Views: 261
Wow, that's pretty wild. Certainly does look like a long-nosed snake, and it's an albino at that!
 
it does look like an albino longnose snake!
They are native to AZ, although I wasn't able to find much about albinos so that's probably kinda rare and really neat to see surviving in the wild. I wonder if someone caught it and it's an escaped pet? (you mentioned it was found in an apartment complex and the fact it took a f/t rodent already)

http://www.herper.com/snakearticles/longnose.html



You may want to contact Stuart Dodsworth – [email protected] I believe he knows a lot about this species.
 
The apartments that we got it in is up against the desert, although it was on the opposite end of the complex. The security guard for the complex was quite scared. After catching this snake, we got another call to remove a snake. A bullsnake that was about 5-6 feet long with a nice big bulge in the belly.
 
Thank you for your responses. I sent the picture and an email to Stuart. I will keep you updated. Thx again for your help. I was very excited when I turned the corner to see this beautiful snake.
 
April

I sent the email to Stuart but it was returned undeliverable. Here is another pic. Hard to get good pictures, it won't hold still.
 

Attachments

  • Edge4 cropped.jpg
    Edge4 cropped.jpg
    82 KB · Views: 218
axeman said:
April

I sent the email to Stuart but it was returned undeliverable.
Click to expand...

shoot. sorry, that was the only email I had seen, he had written about longnose snakes on a few sites so I was hoping he'd still be around. :(
 
Focal X said:
That little guy is neat! I would keep him and get it a mate!
Click to expand...

I feel kinda excited about this find. Not sure what I'm gonna do. I have people asking to buy it and a daughter that wants her own pet. I guess I will have to wait and see what happens.
 
Are you SURE you would want to release such a beautiful snake that eats so well in captivity?? Here's an idea. Save its poop and get a fecal float done at a herp vet that knows what they're doing. MAYBE if it comes up parasite free you'll know you've got a captive bred snake. Of course there's no way to tell if its captive bred HOW LONG its been "on the land" so to say.

Devon
 
Are you SURE you would want to release such a beautiful snake that eats so well in captivity?? Here's an idea. Save its poop and get a fecal float done at a herp vet that knows what they're doing. MAYBE if it comes up parasite free you'll know you've got a captive bred snake. Of course there's no way to tell if its captive bred HOW LONG its been "on the land" so to say.

Devon
 
axeman said:
I feel kinda excited about this find. Not sure what I'm gonna do. I have people asking to buy it and a daughter that wants her own pet. I guess I will have to wait and see what happens.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to sell wild caught native species in AZ. Make sure to check your regulations.
 
garweft said:
I'm pretty sure it's illegal to sell wild caught native species in AZ. Make sure to check your regulations.
Click to expand...

But if it is given away to a lucky Fauna member for cost of shipping, does that fall somewhere in the "gray" area? :D

Seriously, man, if it is legal to keep native species in your state, keep it! Beautiful snake! I am jealous. You can't keep any native species here in Ohio. I REALLY want an eastern milk, but alas, I can't have one. Keep your find for me if you can!
 
I am really hoping you are able to sell it, or any other thing that will get those genes into the captive population of longnose. They aren't really a popular or high dollar snake, but there are a few of us around that still appreciate the beauty of U.S. colubrids. I have been wanting them since I was a kid memorizing field guides. I have a few longnose here now, and other than the occasional feeding issue with babies, they are terrific captives.
 
Not what I wanted to see

http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/regulations/2007-2008ReptileRegulations.pdf

R12-4-402
Live Wildlife: Unlawful Acts

A. An individual shall not perform any of the following activities with live wildlife unless authorized by this Chapter or A.R.S. Title 3, Chapter 16:

1. Import any live wildlife into the state;

2. Export any live wildlife from the state;

3. Transport, possess, offer for sale, sell, sell as live bait, trade, give away, purchase, rent, lease, display, exhibit, propagate, stock, or release live wildlife within the state; or

4. Kill any captive live wildlife
 
Back
Top