Liophidium pattoni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Liophidium pattoni |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Liophidium
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| Species: |
pattoni
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The Liophidium pattoni is a special kind of snake found only on the island of Madagascar. It belongs to a group of snakes called Pseudoxyrhophiidae. This snake is quite new to science, as it was officially described in 2010. Before that, people knew it existed because one was seen in a book in 1996, but scientists hadn't studied it closely yet. Good news: this snake is completely harmless to humans!
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About the Name
The second part of the snake's name, pattoni, was chosen to honor an American scientist named James L. Patton. He was a mammalogist, which means he studied mammals.
Where It Lives
The L. pattoni snake has only been found in two specific places in Madagascar: the Masoala peninsula and an area called the Makira Plateau. These snakes live in primary rainforests, which are old, untouched forests. They can be found at heights up to 1,000 meters (about 3,280 feet) above sea level.
Snake Family Tree
Liophidium pattoni was first described in 2010. It is part of a group of snakes known as the Liophidium genus. This genus belongs to a larger family of snakes called Lamprophiidae. Snakes in this family are generally not dangerous to people. Scientists have found that the closest relative to L. pattoni is another snake called L. rhodogaster.
What It Looks Like
The L. pattoni snake is easy to tell apart from other snakes in its group because of its unique colors. It has a thin body. Its back is black with stripes that are pink at first, then fade to blue-gray and white towards its tail. The underside of the snake is a bright yellow, and the area under its tail is pink-red. An adult male snake can be about 41.7 centimeters (about 16.4 inches) long from head to tail. Its body, not including the tail, can be around 32.9 centimeters (about 13 inches) long, and its head is about 1.24 centimeters (about 0.5 inches) long.
What It Eats
The L. pattoni snake hunts on the ground. We don't know everything about what it eats, but one snake that was studied had a type of lizard called a Malagasy ground skink (Madascincus melanopleura) in its stomach. This suggests that the L. pattoni snake likely eats small animals that live on the rainforest floor.
