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Chihuahuan Hook-Nosed Snake Range Map






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Chihuahuan Hook-Nosed Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Chihuahuan Hook-Nosed Snake (Gyalopion canum)


Chihuahuan Hook-Nosed Snake (Gyalopion canum)STATUS





Description: The Western hooknose snake is a small species, growing to 14+3/8 inches in total length (including tail). It is gray or grayish brown in color, with 25 to 48 dark brown or black blotches down the back, and a cream-colored underside. It has a slightly upturned snout, to which the common name, "hooknose", refers. The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 17 rows at midbody.

One of the primary defensive behaviors of G. canum is to make a popping noise with its cloaca, i.e., farting. According to an article in the August, 2000 issue of Discover magazine, during a laboratory experiment carried out by Bruce Young, a morphologist at Lafayette College, the snakes only farted when they felt threatened, and some farted so energetically that they lifted themselves off the ground.


Habitat: The Western hooknose snake prefers slightly sandy habitats, near a permanent water source.


Range: G. canum is found in the United States, from western Texas to southeastern Arizona, and into northern and central Mexico.


Found in these States: AZ | NM | TX


Diet: The diet of G. canum consists primarily of spiders and centipedes, but it will also eat small snakes and scorpions.


Reproduction: The Western hooknose snake is oviparous. Sexually mature females may lay up to 5 eggs in June.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the fairly large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. This species is not threatened in most of its range.


Taxonomy: Gyalopion canum, commonly known as the Western hooknose snake, is a species of small colubrid snake endemic to the deserts of the United States and Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake because it is commonly found in the Chihuahuan Desert.

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Gyalopion
                     »» Species: Gyalopion canum - Chihuahuan Hook-Nosed Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gyalopion canum", 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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