Striped whip snake
| Striped whip snake | ||||||||||||
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Striped whip snake ( Coluber taeniatus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Coluber taeniatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Hallowell , 1852) |
The striped whipsnake ( Coluber taeniatus , Syn. : Masticophis taeniatus ) belongs to the genus of coluber ( Coluber ) and thus to the adders (Colubridae). It lives in the western United States and reaches a body length of about 1.80 meters.
Appearance
The striped whip snake, like the other whip snakes, is long and very slender. It reaches a body length of one meter to 1.80 meters. Their basic color varies from gray to blue-green and red-brown to black. On both sides of the body there are two lighter colored stripes that run the entire length. The large head scales are outlined in white and the body scales are arranged in 15 rows.
distribution and habitat
The striped whip snake lives in the western United States. Their distribution area extends from the state of Washington to the Great Basin and New Mexico as well as parts of Texas . You can find them in steppe areas and dry plains as well as in mountain areas up to an altitude of about 3000 meters.
Way of life
The snakes feed on lizards , smaller snakes, and small mammals and birds . Their main predators are hawks . The whip snakes move very quickly, but they keep their heads raised to get a better overview. In order to escape enemies, the animals quickly disappear into crevices or caves in the ground or they climb trees. They hunt during the day and are very skilled at doing this. Their prey also includes larger lizards and small rattlesnakes .
The mating of the animals takes place in spring, the three to 12 eggs are laid in a nest in June or July. Often abandoned residential buildings are used by small mammals. The young that hatch in August are about 40 centimeters long. The males reach sexual maturity after one or two years, the females after three years.
Subspecies
There are four subspecies of the striped whip snake:
- Coluber taeniatus australis Smith , 1941
- Coluber taeniatus girardi ( Stejneger & Barbour , 1917)
- Coluber taeniatus ornatus Baird & Girard , 1853
- Coluber taeniatus taeniatus ( Hallowell , 1852)
literature
- JL Behler, FW King: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York 1979.
- TF Tyning: Stokes Nature Guides: A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles. Little, Brown & Company (Canada), Boston 1990.
- B. Moon: Reptiles of Washington. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture , Seattle 2000.
Individual evidence
Web links
- Masticophis taeniatus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Hammerson, GA, Vazquez Díaz, J. & Quintero Díaz, G., 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2014.