Chicken eater
| Chicken eater | ||||||||||||
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Chicken eater ( Spilotes pullatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Spilotes | ||||||||||||
| Wagler , 1830 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Spilotes pullatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The chicken eater ( Spilotes pullatus ) is the only species of the monotypical genus Spilotes . First described the species was in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus under the name Coluber pullatas .
features
The chicken eater is a powerful snake and reaches a length of 250 to 300 cm. Despite its size, its body is relatively slim and flattened on the sides. The narrow head is only slightly separated from the body, the large eyes have round pupils. The basic color is greenish-black, the body is very variable, mostly with orange stripes on the sides. The belly side is yellowish to orange, behind the head there is a stripe on each side, the muzzle is usually orange. The paired number of rows of dorsal scales and a missing vertebral row are characteristic.
Way of life
The chicken eater leads a diurnal and predominantly tree-dwelling (arboreal) way of life. Driven in distress, he defends himself with bite attacks. It actively searches for food on the ground as well as in bushes and trees. Its range of prey includes birds , lizards , other snakes , amphibians and small mammals as well as eggs. It is named after the fact that the chicken eater also prey on domestic fowl. The species is oviparous , i.e. egg-laying. The clutch can contain between 15 and 25 eggs.
distribution
The distribution area extends from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina . The chicken eater's habitats are dry shrubbery, gallery forests and tropical rainforests , typically near water. As a cultural follower , it often occurs near human settlements.
literature
- Chris Mattison: Encyclopedia of Snakes. BLV Verlag, ISBN 978-3-8354-0360-4 .
- Dieter Schmidt: Atlas snakes. Nikol-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-86820-011-9 .
