Colubrid facts for kids

Colubrids
	Caspian whipsnake; Coluber (Dolichophis) caspius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Sauropsida
Subclass:	Diapsida
Superorder:	Lepidosauria
Order:	Squamata
Infraorder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae

A colubrid (from Latin coluber, snake) is a snake that is a member of the Colubridae "family". Colubridae is the largest snake family, and includes about two-thirds of all known living snake species. However, The Colubrids are certainly not a natural group, and many are more closely related to other groups, such as elapids, than to each other. This family has classically been a dumping ground for snakes that do not fit anywhere else. There is on-going mitochondrial DNA research which will sort out the familial relations within this group.

A colubrid's body is almost completely covered in scales. Most colubrids are not venomous and are normally harmless. A few groups, such as genus Boiga, can produce medically significant bites. In addition, the Boomslang and African twig snake have both caused human fatalities. The venom-injecting fangs associated with venomous colubrids are almost always in the back of the mouth, in contrast to vipers and elapids.

Selected species

Images for kids

Dolichophis jugularis prey on Sheltopusik
A boomslang
Dendrelaphis chairecacos
Small Colubrid snake from West Andes of Colombia
The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal Australia, Papua New Guinea, and a large number of islands in northwestern Melanesia
The colubrid Telescopus semiannulatus in an acacia, central Tanzania