California night snake
| California night snake | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Hypsiglena |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | H. o. nuchalata
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| Trinomial name | |
| Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus nuchalata W.W. Tanner, 1943
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| California night snake range | |
| Synonyms | |
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The California night snake (Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus nuchalata) is a subspecies of small colubrid snake native to California.[2]
Description[edit]
The California night snake grows to a total length of 12 to 26 inches (30 to 66 cm), with hatchlings about 7 inches in total length.[3]
The snake has a narrow flat head, smooth dorsal scales in 19 rows, and eyes with vertically elliptical pupils.[3] They are rear-fanged and considered to be venomous, but not dangerous to humans.[3]
Its color may be light gray, light brown, tan, or cream, often matching the substrate of the region, with dark brown or dark grey blotches down the back and sides.[3] The underside is whitish or yellowish and unmarked, and they usually have a pair of large dark markings on the neck, and a dark bar through or behind the eyes.[3]
Behavior[edit]
As their common name implies, they are a primarily nocturnal snake.[3]
Diet[edit]
Their diet consists primarily of lizards, but they will also eat smaller snakes, and occasionally the soft bodied insect.
Habitat[edit]
They prefer semiarid habitats with rocky soils.
Reproduction[edit]
They are an oviparous subspecies that breeds from April to September.
Geographic range[edit]
The Coast night snake ranges throughout western California, ringing the central valley, but is not found in the valley itself.[3] It is one of two night snake species in the state. The other is the desert night snake, Hypsiglena chlorophaea.
References[edit]
- ^ Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Hypsiglena torquata nuchalata, pp. 322–324, Figure 99. + Map 30. on p. 315.)
- ^ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha nuchalata - California Nightsnake". Archived from the original on 2008-04-13. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
Further reading[edit]
- Tanner, W.W. 1943. Two new species of Hypsiglena from western North America. Great Basin Naturalist 4 (1 & 2): 49–54. (Hypsiglena nuchalatus sp. nov., pp. 49–53.)
External links[edit]
- Species Hypsiglena torquata at The Reptile Database