The Great Basin Desert is higher in elevation than the other North American deserts. Winter temperatures can be cold, yet summer days are hot. Like most deserts, there can be a vast temperature difference between daytime high temperatures and nighttime low temperatures.
Rattlesnakes are one of the best-known of the Great Basin reptiles.
The first of the following two lists includes reptiles collected or otherwise positively identified in the southern Snake Range and adjacent portions of Snake and Spring valleys. The second list includes species that potentially occur in this area, based on their wider distribution and habitat requirements. Explanatory notes and references follow the lists. NPS Sensitive taxon. A secretive species, found typically in riparian areas and other sites with dense cover.