Many species of snakes live in the Mojave Desert in Red Rock Canyon, some are poisonous, many are harmless. A snake that you are most likely to come across during the day is the Great Basin gopher snake. This is because, unlike other species this snake is active during the day. And sure enough, I came across one during a recent trip to Red Rock.

It is a constrictor and hunts for rats, mice, rabbits and other small desert mammals and reptiles by foraging in the borrows. It often mimics a rattlesnake by shaking its tail against brush when threatened.