Striped Whipsnake

Where they live

• View a map of where they live.
• Striped whipsnakes occur in specific parts of western United States and northern Mexico.
• Habitats include rocky canyons, grasslands, sagebrush deserts, pinyon-juniper woodlands, oak forests, and ponderosa pine forests.
• Often live and feed near rocky outcrops, rodent burrows, and in trees and shrubs.

What they eat

• Younger striped whipsnakes primarily feed on lizards.
• Adults can also feed on snakes, small mammals, insects, small birds, and occasionally small venomous snakes.

Breeding

• In June or July, females find an abandoned rodent burrow and lay 3 to 12 eggs, which will hatch after around 50 to 57 days.   

Cool Biology Facts

• Striped whipsnakes look like a leather whip, hence their name.
• If captured, striped whipsnakes will often act aggressively and bite. 

Threats

• Although car collisions and habitat loss from expanding agriculture threaten striped whipsnakes, they are considered “least concern” due to their large stable population and widespread range.
• View their status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.