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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Short-Tailed Snake (Lampropeltis extenuata)


Short-Tailed Snake (Lampropeltis extenuata)STATUS





Description: The short-tailed snake is a small serpent averaging 14 to 20 inches in total length, with a record total length measurement of 25+3/4 inches, and is perhaps as thin as a pencil. It is gray above with 50 to 80 dark blotches and may or may not have a yellow stripe running down the spine. The underside is white with dark brown blotches. It bears a more-than-superficial resemblance to other kingsnakes, especially the mole kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata), but can be distinguished by its smaller size and much more slender build. Also, Lampropeltis extenuatum has six upper labials, whereas kingsnakes (genus Lampropeltis) have seven upper labials.


Habitat: The short-tailed snake prefers sandy-soiled pine or oak woodlands, but may be found in other habitats, provided it has access to prey and suitable soil for burrowing.


Range: Found only in a handful of counties in central Florida.


Found in these States: FL


Diet: Captive specimens show a keen preference for black-crowned snakes of the genus Tantilla and will often eat them exclusively, rejecting other species of small snake or lizard. It is possible that black-crowned snakes, some of which are themselves small, burrowing snakes endemic to Florida, comprise the entire diet of wild short-tailed snakes.


Reproduction: Little is known about the reproduction of the short-tailed snake. Females may be oviparous (lay eggs) and deposit eggs in burrows. Short-tailed snakes are rarely found because of their fossorial nature, making observations of their reproduction difficult.


Status: Listed as Near Threatened because its extent of occurrence is not much greater than 20,000 kmē, and the extent and quality of its habitat is declining, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable under criterion B1ab(iii).


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Lampropeltis
                     »» Species: Lampropeltis extenuata - Short-Tailed Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Short-Tailed Snake", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


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U.S. Guide to Venomous Snakes and Their Mimics     Venomous Snakebite in the Western United States     Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast     The 10 Most Dangerous Snakes in the United States and Canada



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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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