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Shed Snake Skin
Snakes Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas
Snake Skin, Snake Shed

Snakes shed their skin as they grow. If they grow fast, they might shed several time in a year; if food is hard to find, they might not shed at all.

It is always fun to find snake shed out in the desert. When you find some, take a careful look to see if you can identify it. For example, this shed seems to have dark brown blotches along the back. Several snakes have dark blotches, but look carefully and notice the little lines (arrow) along each scale. The lines are from keels on the scales, so a fair-sized snake with keeled scales? How about a gopher snake!

Snake Skin, Snake Shed
Keel marks show on shed skin
Like other snakes, rattlesnakes shed, and each time they shed, they add one button to their rattle. Because they can shed several times per year, the number of buttons on the rattle doesn't show their age.

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
copyright; Last updated 221214

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