Painted Desert glossy snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arizona elegans philipi |
|
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Arizona |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
A. e. philipi
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Arizona elegans philipi Klauber, 1946
|
|
The Painted Desert glossy snake (scientific name: Arizona elegans philipi) is a type of glossy snake. These snakes are not venomous, meaning they are not dangerous to humans. They belong to a group of snakes called colubrids. You can only find them in North America.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name philipi was given to this snake to honor Philip Monroe Klauber. He was the son of a famous snake expert named Laurence Monroe Klauber. It was Laurence Klauber who officially named this subspecies in 1946.
Where Does It Live?
This snake lives in the southwestern United States. You can find it in the far western part of Texas, across New Mexico, and into Arizona. It also lives in northern Mexico. Sometimes, its home range overlaps with other types of glossy snakes. When this happens, they can sometimes have babies together. This can make it tricky to tell the different subspecies apart.
What Does It Look Like?
The Painted Desert glossy snake is usually a light tan-brown color. It has darker brown blotches, or spots, all along its back. This type of glossy snake often has about 60 blotches, which is more than other kinds. Each blotch usually has a thin black edge. The snake's belly is typically a solid cream or white color.
The snake's colors can change a bit. They might be lighter or darker depending on the soil and how high up they live. Snakes from higher places are often darker. Adult snakes can grow to be about 20 to 35 inches (50 to 90 cm) long. They have a thin body with smooth scales on their back. Their eyes have round pupils.
Female Painted Desert glossy snakes have tails that are longer than 13.5% of their total body length. For males, their tails are even longer, more than 14.5% of their body length. Most of these snakes have 27 rows of smooth scales around the middle of their body.
Its Home Environment
These snakes prefer to live in sandy and rocky dry areas. You can often find them where there are not many plants. They especially like places with creosote bush and sagebrush.
What Does It Eat?
The Painted Desert glossy snake eats lizards and small rodents. They are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. You can often see them looking for food in ditches along roads in the late evening.
Reproduction
Mating happens in the spring. The female snake will lay a group of up to 24 eggs. These eggs hatch in the fall. When they are born, the baby snakes are about 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28 cm) long.
- Species Arizona elegans at The Reptile Database
