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Serpentes, Colubridae: Central & South American Common Snakes |
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Parrot Snake, Leptophis ahaetulla Linnaeus, 1758. Photographed in Trinidad's Arima Valley. This specimen is referable to the subspecies L. a. coeruleodorsus Oliver, 1942. The species is widespread from Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico southward through Central America to Chile and Brazil. It is an arboreal, forest dwelling snake that will also use disturbed habitats. It feeds upon frogs, lizards. and birds that it hunts during the day. Females lay 3-5 eggs in epiphytic plants and cavities in trees and bamboo.
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Mastigodryas boddaerti (Sentzen, 1796). A juvenile. Photographed in Trinidad's Arima Valley. This snake has also been placed in the genus Dryadophis. This is a diurnal, racer-like snake often found in forests and forest edge habitats. It occurs over much of northern South America as well as the Amazon Basin. Its diet is diverse, and it will eat insects, frogs, lizards, birds, and mammals.
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Oxybelis aeneus (Wagler, 1824). Photographed in Trinidad's Arima Valley. Adults reach 0.9-1.7 m. It is widespread, ranging from southern Arizona southward through Mexico and Central America to Peru and Bolivia. It can also be found on the continental islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Food is mostly lizards, but it may also eat other vertebrate prey. It occurs in forest edge and secondary forests, but also in very disturbed areas.
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The Puffing Snake, Pseustes poecilonotus (Gunther, 1858). Photographed in Trinidad's Arima Valley. Maximum size on this snake is about 2 m. It is widespread, ranging from southern Mexico through Central America and into the Amazon Basin. It is diurnal and arboreal in forest and forest edge habitats. It feeds on birds and lizards. The common name is derived from it inflating its lungs and spreading the lower jaw during a defense display.
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Spilotes pullatus (Linnaeus, 1758). Photographed in Trinidad's Arima Valley. One of the largest species in the family, it reaches at least 2.65 m. Found in lowland rainforests as well as secondary forests, and pastures, it is often associated with streams. Sometimes called the tiger rat snake it feeds on lizards, birds and mammals. Females lay small clutches of 7-10 eggs, hatchlings are large at about 0.5.
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| All text and photographs copyright © John C. Murphy. All rights reserved worldwide. The content of this site is made available for purposes of researching images offered for license by John C. Murphy. No image is to be copied, duplicated, modified or redistributed in whole or part without the prior written permission of JCM Natural History Photography. Email: jcm@jcmnaturalhistory.com |
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