Coin snake
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A coin snake ( Hemorrhois nummifer ) from Israel. |
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| Hemorrhois nummifer | ||||||||||||
| ( Reuss , 1834) |
The coins Natter ( Hemorrhois nummifer , Syn. : Coluber nummifer ) is a snake of the family of snakes . It is native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia.
features
The coin snake is a powerful snake with a maximum total length of 1.4 m. The strong, broad head is clearly separated from the body. The relatively small eyes have a round pupil. The base color is gray, olive gray or gray-brown on top. On the top of the head behind the eyes there are usually two dark stripes that extend backwards and outwards. Occasionally there is a dark transverse band between the eyes. Characteristic is the series of large dark spots on the back and the upper side of the tail, which are often isolated and often lightly edged. These are round-oval and are reminiscent of coins, but are sometimes also diamond-shaped. They can also flow together to form a wide wavy or zigzag band. There are two rows of dark, alternating spots on each of the flanks. The markings on the top can fade as the animals get older. There are also individuals without any drawings. The ventral side is gray-white to yellowish-white. The young animals are clearly more contrasting in color than the adults.
There is a risk of confusion with the poisonous mountain otter ( Montivipera xanthina ), which, however, has a slit-shaped pupil and many small scales on the top of the head, while the coin snake has large head shields.
distribution
The distribution area of the coin snake stretches from the southeast Aegean islands of Leros , Kalymnos , Kos , Symi , Rhodes , Lipsi and Kastellorizo via southwest and southern Turkey and Cyprus eastwards to Transcaucasia and the Central Asian countries Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan . To the southeast, it populates western Syria , Jordan , Lebanon , Israel and the northeast of Egypt on the southern Sinai Peninsula and the vicinity of Cairo .
habitat
From sea level to a maximum of 1800 m above sea level in Turkey, but mostly below 1000 m altitude. The preferred habitats are dry, sun-exposed scree slopes with poorly developed vegetation. In addition, the species is found in ruins, on stone walls and field edges, as well as in sparse forests.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life, presumably it resembles that of Ravergier's Wrath Snake ( Hemorrhois ravergieri ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dieter Glandt: The amphibians and reptiles of Europe: All kinds in portrait. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2015, ISBN 978-3-494-01581-1 , pp. 614–615.
literature
- Dieter Glandt: The amphibians and reptiles of Europe: All kinds in portrait. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2015, ISBN 978-3-494-01581-1 , pp. 614–615.
Web links
- Hemorrhois nummifer in The Reptile Database . Edited by: P. Uetz, P. Freed & J. Hošek, 1995–2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.