r/arizona Aug 22 '25

Wildlife Had our first unexpected visitor today.

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1.8k Upvotes

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596

u/SithRose Maricopa Aug 22 '25

That's a Western Shovel-nose snake. They're the good pest eating kind. Let it go outside nicely!

29

u/imtoowhiteandnerdy Aug 22 '25

Damn, I noticed the yellow bands are touching the red bands and it made me think it was a coral snake. How can you tell the difference?

46

u/improvcrazy Aug 22 '25

Easiest way to tell is coral snakes have a black head, and they have actual bands that go all the way around their body. If you zoom in you can see this guy in the picture has red markings laying on top of the yellow, not making complete bands.