You're standing in the dunes. It's quiet. The sun is low, casting long, orange shadows over the ripples of the Mojave or maybe the Namib, and right there, cutting through the pristine surface, is a pattern. It looks like a ribbon was dragged through the dust. Or maybe a series of rhythmic stabs. Most people just see "a snake track" and keep walking, but if you stop for a second, those lines tell a whole story. They tell you how fast the animal was moving, how big it was, and honestly, if it was even a snake at all.
Sand is a weird medium. It's a high-definition recorder of movement, but it’s also incredibly fragile. Wind can erase the fine details of snake tracks in sand within minutes, turning a sharp "S" curve into a vague smudge. Learning to read these marks isn't just a party trick for hikers; it’s a safety skill and a window into a world that usually stays hidden under the scrub brush.
The four ways snakes actually move through dunes
Nature didn't just give snakes one way to get around. Depending on the species and the temperature of the ground, they’ve got a whole toolkit of gaits.
The one you’ve probably seen in cartoons is lateral undulation. This is the classic "S" shape. The snake finds irregularities in the ground—a small rock, a tuft of grass, or even just a firmer patch of sand—and pushes off them. On very soft, flat sand, this actually becomes quite difficult for them. It’s like trying to run on ice in bowling shoes. You’ll see a continuous, wavy line where the belly has pressed down, usually with little piles of sand pushed to the outside of each curve. These "sand pillows" are the evidence of the snake’s force. If the pillows are on the back side of the curve, you know which direction it was heading.
Then there’s sidewinding. This is the rockstar move of desert specialists like the Sidewinder rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes) or the Peringuey’s adder. If you see a series of disconnected, J-shaped parallel bars, you’re looking at a sidewinder. They aren’t dragging their bodies. They’re literally throwing themselves across the sand. They lift most of their body off the hot surface to stay cool and to get traction where there is none. It’s weirdly efficient. Each mark is roughly the length of the snake, and the "hook" of the J points in the direction of travel.
Why the marks aren't always what they seem
Sometimes you’ll find a straight line. Just a boring, narrow trench. That’s rectilinear locomotion. Big, heavy-bodied snakes like boas or some large vipers use this. They move their belly scales like a caterpillar tread. It’s slow. It’s stealthy. You won't see much detail here, just a slight disturbance.
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And then there’s concertina movement. This is usually for tight spaces, but you might see it if a snake is trying to climb a steep dune face. They bunch up their front half, grip, and then pull the back half up. It looks like an accordion opening and closing.
Spotting the difference between a lizard and a snake
I've seen plenty of people freak out over a "huge snake track" that was actually just a Western Fence Lizard dragging its tail. It happens. You’ve got to look for the feet.
Lizards almost always leave tiny, pin-prick claw marks on either side of a central tail drag. Even if the wind has blurred the footfalls, the cadence is different. A snake track is rhythmic and fluid. A lizard track is often erratic, stopping and starting as the little guy looks for bugs. If the track suddenly disappears into a hole that’s too small for a snake, or if you see "skitter" marks, it’s a lizard.
Also, beetles. Don't laugh. Certain darkling beetles in the desert leave tracks that, at a quick glance, look like miniature sidewinder marks. They create a double-row of textured dots that can look like a tiny snake's belly scales. Look closer. If the "track" is only an inch wide and perfectly straight, it’s probably a bug.
Reading the "faded" clues: Age and Direction
How old is that track? This is the question search and rescue teams or wildlife biologists like those at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance ask constantly.
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Check the "horns" or the edges of the sand grain. Fresh snake tracks in sand have sharp, crisp edges. Sand grains will be piled up in fragile towers. Within a few hours, gravity and the light afternoon breeze will cause those towers to collapse. If the track looks "soft" or "melted," it’s old. If there are insect tracks crossing over the snake track, the snake is long gone. If the snake track crosses over the insect marks, keep your eyes open.
Direction is the big one. In lateral undulation, look for the sand displacement. Snakes push back to go forward. In sidewinding, the "hook" of the J-shape is made by the head and neck, meaning it points where the snake was going.
Does the track tell you if it's venomous?
Honestly? No. Not directly.
There is no "shape" of a track that screams "poisonous." However, behavior is a clue. In North American deserts, if you see that distinct, disconnected J-shaped sidewinding pattern, you are almost certainly looking at a Sidewinder rattlesnake, which is venomous. But in other parts of the world, non-venomous snakes might try to mimic that movement if the sand is loose enough.
Don't ever assume a track belongs to a "safe" snake just because it's narrow or shallow. Track width can be deceptive. A heavy-bodied rattlesnake might leave a wide, deep trench, but a slender, fast-moving (and highly venomous) Mojave Green might leave a track that looks surprisingly light.
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Environmental impact and the "hidden" world
When we talk about tracks, we’re usually talking about the surface, but the sand goes deep. Some snakes, like the shovel-nosed snake, "swim" through the sand. They don't just leave tracks on it; they leave ripples in it.
It's also worth noting that the temperature of the sand changes how a snake moves. Early in the morning, when the sand is cold, a snake is sluggish. Its tracks might be messy or hesitant. By mid-morning, it's at peak performance—fast, clean lines. By noon, the sand is often too hot for them to touch, so they’ll be under a bush or buried. If you see a fresh track at 2:00 PM in the Mojave, that snake was likely disturbed and is moving fast to find shade before it literally cooks.
What to do when you find fresh tracks
If you’re hiking and you see a track that looks like it was made thirty seconds ago, stop. Don't just look at the ground. Look at the nearest shade. Snakes don't like being out in the open; they use the sand as a highway to get from one hiding spot to another.
- Freeze and Scan: Don't take another step. Look at the bushes within a ten-foot radius.
- Check the Heading: Use what you learned about the "sand pillows" to see which way it went. If the track leads into a bush you're about to walk past, give it a wide berth.
- Listen: In the desert, silence is your friend. A rattle is obvious, but the sound of scales on dry brush is subtle. It sounds like tissue paper crinkling.
- Take a Photo: If you want to identify it later, put something for scale next to the track—like a coin or a water bottle—but don't get too close.
Common misconceptions about tracks
People think snakes "slither" in a way that always leaves a perfect wave. Sometimes, if a snake is startled, the track becomes a chaotic mess of sprayed sand. This is called "fleeing" behavior. If you see a track that looks like someone whipped a rope against the ground, you probably just missed seeing the snake bolt.
Another myth is that you can tell the length of the snake by the width of the track. You can't. A small snake doing high-pressure lateral undulation can leave a wider "path" of disturbed sand than a larger snake moving slowly and carefully. The only way to judge size is the length of the individual segments in a sidewinder's trail.
Practical takeaway for your next trip
Next time you’re out, find a patch of clear sand and just watch. Even if you don't see a snake, you’ll see the "highway" of the desert. To get better at this, try dragging a stick in different ways—sideways, straight, pushing hard, or barely touching. You’ll see how hard it is to replicate the clean, efficient marks of a reptile.
Actionable Insight:
If you are serious about tracking, carry a small LED flashlight, even during the day. Holding a light at a low angle (side-lighting) across the tracks will pop the shadows in the scales and "sand pillows," making it much easier to determine the direction of travel and the age of the mark. This "low-sun" effect is why tracks are easiest to read at dawn and dusk. If you find a track, look for the "push-off" points—the side of the curve with the most piled-up sand is always the "back" of the stride. Use that to know which direction to avoid.