Western banded snake
| Western banded snake | ||||||||||||
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Western banded snake ( Thamnophis proximus ) |
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| Thamnophis proximus | ||||||||||||
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The western banded snake ( Thamnophis proximus ), also known as western banded garter snake , is one of almost 40 species of snake in the garter snake genus .
features
A striking feature of this species is a long tail that can reach almost a third of the length of the body.
The western banded snake differs from the eastern banded snake Thamnophis sauritus by two closely spaced spots on the top of the head, which in T. sauritus are either absent or clearly separated.
Thamnophis proximus becomes 60 to 90 cm long. The males stay smaller than the females.
Like all garter snakes, it is viviparous . Litter sizes of up to 27 pups are reported.
It mainly eats amphibians , and occasionally fish . It can only be used to feed young rodents in the terrarium .
The western banded snake always lives near water, preferably in densely overgrown, bushy terrain. She is diurnal, a very skilled climber and also likes to swim a lot in the terrarium.
Unlike most other garter snakes, this species shows clear territorial behavior in human posture up to an increased readiness to bite.
distribution
While the eastern banded snake actually lives in the far east of North America , the habitat of the western banded snake is not in the west of the continent, but this species is found west of the eastern banded snake: from the state of Minnesota in the north, over parts of Indiana , and Tennessee to Alabama . To the west, their distribution area extends only to Kansas and New Mexico in the central south of the USA . From there, their territory extends into Central America across central Mexico to Nicaragua .
literature
- Thomas Bourguignon: Garter Snakes. Origin, care, species , DATZ terrarium books, 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3591-4
- Martin Hallmen, Jürgen Chlebowy: Garter Snakes , Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3-931587-49-5
- WP Mara: Garter Snakes in the Terrarium , Bede Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-927997-79-X
- Frank Mutschmann : The garter snakes. Biology, distribution, keeping , Westarp-Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-89432-427-9
Web links
- Photos & husbandry report for the subspecies Th. Proximus proximus
- Information on Western bands Natter (English)
- Thamnophis proximus in The Reptile Database
- Thamnophis proximus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Chaves, G., Lamar, W., Porras, LW, Solórzano, A., Sunyer, J. & Hammerson, GA, 2005. Retrieved January 5, 2014.