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AZ Aviary - snake hallway

Snakes - Nonvenomous (Hallway)

Snakes on exhibit may change occasionally.*

  • Green Ratsnake

  • Western Black Kingsnake

  • Arizona Mountain Kingsnake

  • Desert Kingsnake

  • Long-Nosed Snake

  • Sonoran Lyresnake

  • Red Coachship

  • Sonoran Gopher Snake

*Snakes on exhibit may change occasionally. List last updated 5/10/25


Identifying Features:

Click "Read More" or scroll down for pictures and more information on each species.

More Information:

Green Ratsnake

  • Primarily found in northern Arizona

  • Diurnal and crepuscular

  • Will forage in trees and bushes

  • Motionless when threatened

Arizona Mountain Kingsnake

  • This species is found in high elevation, rocky, forested habitat.

  • Like all kingsnakes, this species does prey on other snakes, even rattlesnakes! They also feed on lizards, birds, and small rodents.

  • Generally considered to be a coral snake “mimic", although their habitats rarely overlap. The bright colored banding does create a strobing effect that makes it hard for potential predators, like birds, to focus on them.

Desert Kingsnake & Western Black Kingsnake

  • There are 7 species of common kingsnakes (3 in AZ)

  • Range from Canada to Ecuador

  • Will eat other snakes

  • Resistance to venom of some species

  • Diurnal and crepuscular

Long-Nosed Snake

  • Nocturnal

  • Digging scales on nose

  • Musk

Red Coachship

  • Diurnal

  • Active in heat of the day

  • Seen on zoo grounds

Sonoran Gopher Snake

  • Arizona's longest snake

  • Common on zoo grounds

  • Often mistaken for Western Diamondback

  • Found in nearly every type of habitat in the state

  • Active at all times during favorable conditions

  • Will inflate and vibrate tail when threatened

Sonoran Lyresnake

  • Named for V-shaped lyre on its head

  • Medium sized, up to 4 feet in length

  • Lives in lower rocky canyons and arroyos

  • Mildly venomous, rear-fanged

  • Feeds primarily on lizards

  • Not dangerous to humans

Basic Snake Facts:

  • Carnivores

  • Don't have eyelids

  • Swallow food whole

  • Flexible jaws which allow them to eat bigger prey - upper and lower jaws not rigidly attached, allowing vertical and horizontal rotation; lower jaw in two pieces connected in front by an elastic ligament, each side moving independently.

  • Found on every continent of the world except Antartica

  • Skin is smooth and dry

  • Smell with their tongue

  • Scales are made of keratin

  • No external ears or eardrums; skin, muscles and bones carry sound vibrations to inner ears

  • Most snakes are not harmful to humans.

  • Help balance the ecosystem by controlling pest populations

  • ~3,000 species of snakes


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