Israeli cat snake

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Israeli cat snake
Telescopus dhara.jpg

Israeli cat snake ( Telescopus dhara )

Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Adders (Colubridae)
Subfamily : True snakes (Colubrinae)
Genre : Telescopus
Type : Israeli cat snake
Scientific name
Telescopus dhara
( Forsskål , 1775)

The Israeli Cat Snake ( Telescopus dhara ) is a species of snakes (Colubridae). The distribution area extends from Israel over the Arabian Peninsula and in North Africa to Egypt . It also occurs with a subspecies in Libya in North Africa and in Southeast Tunisia . It has furrow teeth in the back of the jaw that are connected to poison glands and is classified according to the non-taxonomic group of snakes .

Subspecies

  • Telescopus dhara dhara ( Forskal , 1775)
  • Telescopus dhara somalicus ( Parker , 1949)

Telescopus obtusus ( Reuss , 1834) was listed by some authors as a subspecies under the name Telescopus dhara obtusus .

features

The Israeli cat snake is a medium-sized snake and reaches a length of about 85 to 105 cm. The body color is light reddish-brown to sandy-brown with an indistinct back markings made up of dark transverse spots, which, however, can also be missing. Monochrome black or light colored animals are known. The ventral side is white to gray-white and sometimes has an indistinct dark spot. The body scales are smooth, which gives a smooth and shiny impression.

The head is oval, flat and set off from the body. The medium-sized eyes have a vertically slit pupil . The front shield is large, the rein shield is longer than it is wide. The snake also has a fore-eye shield and two rear-eye shields. Of the nine, less often ten, upper lip shields , the 3rd, 4th and 5th usually touch the lower edge of the eye. Around the middle of the body there are an average of 19, less often 21, rows of scales.

distribution and habitat

The range of the snake stretches from Israel over the Arabian Peninsula and in North Africa to Egypt . With one subspecies, the North African cat snake ( T. d. Tripolitanis ), it is also found in North African Libya and in Southeast Tunisia . As a habitat, the animals mainly colonize areas in human settlement areas such as gardens with stone walls, buildings and garden shrubbery.

Way of life

The Israeli cat snake is crepuscular and nocturnal, its way of life is relatively little researched. It mainly hangs out on the ground and hides in crevices and brittle masonry during the day. Their range of prey includes mainly small birds as well as lizards , skinks and geckos . The prey animals are caught by the snake slowly approaching (like a cat) and then grabbing. She holds the captured animals in her jaws until the poison of her poisonous teeth, which are located in the back of the rows of teeth, acts and paralyzes or kills the prey. The snake is laying eggs.

Snake venom

Cat snakes have a poison that is effective for their prey, which they can introduce into a wound via the rear furrow teeth (opistoglyphic tooth position). Telescopus dhara has greatly enlarged glands that produce a potent neurotoxin. Larger individuals can shed 20 milligrams and more. Due to a transmission system with poisonous teeth that is less effective than other venomous snakes, there is only a moderate risk for humans.

literature

  • Ulrich Gruber: The snakes of Europe. Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1989; Page 160–161. ISBN 3-440-05753-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Reptile Database: Telescopus obtusus (accessed June 14, 2019)
  2. ^ "Evolution of an arsenal: structural and functional diversification of the venom system in the advanced snakes (Caenophidia)." Fry BG, Scheib H., van der Weerd L., Young B., McNaughtan J., Ramjan SFR, Vidal N., Poelmann RE, Norman JA Mol. Cell. Proteomics 7: 215-246 (2008) [PubMed: 17855442]
  3. ↑ UniProt : Kunitoxin, Telescopus dhara (Egyptian catsnake)

Web links