Yellow-red rat snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow-red rat snake |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Pseudelaphe |
| Species: |
P. flavirufa
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| Binomial name | |
| Pseudelaphe flavirufa (Cope, 1867)
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The yellow-red rat snake (Pseudelaphe flavirufa) is a type of snake. It belongs to a group of snakes called the Colubridae family. This snake is found only in certain areas, mainly in Mexico and Central America. There are three different kinds, or subspecies, of this snake that scientists know about.
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Where It Lives
The yellow-red rat snake makes its home in several parts of Mexico. You can find it in states like Campeche, Chiapas, and Oaxaca. It also lives further south in Central American countries. These include Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
What It Looks Like
This snake can grow to be quite long. It can reach a total length of about 1.22 meters (about 4 feet). Its tail alone can be around 26 centimeters (about 10 inches) long.
From above, the snake is usually yellowish or light brown. It has a pattern of reddish or chestnut-brown spots. These spots often have black edges. Sometimes, the spots connect to form a zigzag line down its back. On each side of its body, there are smaller spots that alternate with the main ones. Its belly is yellowish. It might be plain or have small brown spots.
Reproduction
The yellow-red rat snake reproduces by laying eggs. This means it is an oviparous animal. The mother snake lays her eggs, and then the baby snakes hatch from them later.
Types of Yellow-Red Rat Snakes
Scientists have identified three different subspecies of the yellow-red rat snake. A subspecies is like a slightly different version of the same animal. These three types are:
- Pseudelaphe flavirufa flavirufa (first described by Cope in 1867)
- Pseudelaphe flavirufa matudai (first described by H.M. Smith in 1941)
- Pseudelaphe flavirufa pardalina (first described by W. Peters in 1869)
What's in a Name?
The name matudai for one of the subspecies is a special tribute. It honors a Japanese-Mexican botanist named Eizi Matuda. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants.
 | Roy Wilkins |
 | John Lewis |
 | Linda Carol Brown |
