Southern crocodile sneak
| Southern crocodile sneak | ||||||||||||
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Southern crocodile snake ( Elgaria multicarinata ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Elgaria multicarinata | ||||||||||||
| ( Blainville , 1835) |
The southern crocodile creep ( Elgaria multicarinata ) or also southern alligator creep is a type of crocodile creep (Gerrhonotinae). In western North America it lives primarily in sparse forests and feeds mainly on insects. The length of the head and body of the southern crocodile sneak is around 18 centimeters, with a tail that is twice as long.
features
As with all crocodile sneaks, the back scales are large and hard. The basic color is variable and ranges from gray to brown to yellowish, the belly is light. 9 to 13 dark transverse bands with white spots run across the back. There may also be reddish, brown or yellowish spots on the back. The eyes are yellowish around the pupil. Females are more massive than males.
A wide, light brown band with a few black speckles runs over the back of young animals, the flanks and belly are gray-brown to dark brown, with white and black spots.
distribution
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The southern crocodile creep lives in the western areas of the USA, from southern Washington to Oregon and all of California to northern Mexico , from sea level to mountainous regions at 1,500 meters. The westernmost occurrences are found on the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They are also found on several of the California Channel Islands . For San Miguel Island, for example, Pleistocene fossils document a natural settlement; on San Nicolas Island, for example, introduction through human influence is more likely. The species inhabits numerous habitats such as light forests, areas with light vegetation, grasslands, parks and gardens, as well as moist, overgrown areas of water.
Way of life
General
Southern crocodile crawls are diurnal and mostly found in low vegetation, under stones and old wood or on the ground. The long tail is used as a climbing aid. They feed mainly on insects and arachnids , and occasionally also prey on smaller reptiles, small mammals, young birds and eggs. Southern crocodile crawls hibernate. Most of the larger predators are predators, including the desert night snake ( Hypsiglena torquata ).
Reproduction
It is an egg-laying ( oviparous ) species. The males are ready to mate after hibernation; According to observations in terrariums, this can be recognized by intense licking, trembling and jerky movements. When mating, the males persistently bite into the neck of the female. The females then lay 2–3 clutches with 1–41 eggs, on average 12 eggs, in a self-dug cave or under rubble. A gestation period of 60 days was given for a female in captivity . The incubation period was also 60 days, in another animal it was 40 days. It has also been reported of three females laying their clutches together under a single flat stone. The female southern crocodile sneaks defend their clutch aggressively with bites. The young will likely reach sexual maturity after 2 years.
Systematics
Traditionally, there are 5 subspecies ( multicarinata , scincicauda , webbii , nana , ignava ), which can hardly be distinguished on the basis of their habitus . Most of the time, the place where it was found is decisive. A phylogeographic study doubts the validity of the subspecies.
Duration
The stock is declining locally but is estimated to total more than 100,000 copies. Therefore, the IUCN's Red List of Endangered Species classifies the southern crocodile sneak as 
(= least concern - not endangered). The increasing frequency of forest fires in southern California has a negative impact on the population of the southern crocodile sneak, especially through the loss and drying out of the humid and densely vegetated habitats preferred by the lizards.
swell
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Jürgen Gebhart: A sneak with feet - The southern alligator sneak: keeping and offspring. In: elaphe. Vol. 18, No. 4, 2010, ISSN 0943-2485 , pp. 39-46.
- ↑ a b c Elgaria multicarinata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Hammerson, GA & Hollingsworth, B., 2007. Accessed November 28, 2014.
- ↑ a b Meredith J. Mahoney, Duncan SM Parks, Gary M. Fellers: Uta stansburiana and Elgaria multicarinata on the California Channel Islands: Natural Dispersal or Artificial Introduction? In: Journal of Herpetology. Vol. 37, No. 3, 2003, pp. 586-591, doi : 10.1670 / 24-01A .
- ↑ a b c Manfred Rogner : Lizards. Volume 2: Monitor lizards, skinks and other lizards as well as bridge lizards and crocodiles. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-7253-4 .
- ↑ Javier A. Rodríguez-Robles, Daniel G. Mulcahy, Harry W. Greene: Feeding Ecology of the Desert Nightsnake, Hypsiglena torquata (Colubridae). In: Copeia. Vol. 1999, No. 1, 1999, pp. 93-100, doi : 10.2307 / 1447389 .
- ^ Harry W. Greene, J. Jesús Sigala Rodríguez, Brian J. Powell: Parental Behavior in Anguid Lizards. In: South American Journal of Herpetology. Vol. 1, No. 1, 2006, pp. 9-19, doi : 10.2994 / 1808-9798 (2006) 1 [9: PBIAL] 2.0.CO; 2 .
- ^ Carlton J. Rochester, Cheryl S. Brehme, Denise R. Clark, Drew C. Stokes, Stacie A. Hathaway, Robert N. Fisher: Reptile and Amphibian Responses to Large-Scale Wildfires in Southern California. In: Journal of Herpetology. Vol. 44, No. 3, 2010, pp. 333-351, doi : 10.1670 / 08-143.1 .
Web links
- californiaherps.com - Species portrait of the southern crocodile sneak
- Elgaria multicarinata in The Reptile Database