Farancia (Mud Snake)

Farancia is a genus of colubrid snakes. It consists of two species, one commonly referred to as the rainbow snake and the other commonly referred to as the mud snake. They are native to the eastern half of the United States.

Description

Farancia species can grow to a length of 30-54 inches. They are usually uniform dark brown or black with a brightly colored underside that is red or orange. Rainbow snakes exhibit red striping down their back.

Behaviour
The snakes of this genus are typically semi-aquatic. Living in the muddy edges of slow moving, permanent water sources. Their diet consists primarily of amphiumas, eels, and sirens. Breeding occurs in early spring, and eggs are laid in a burrow near the water in early summer. The clutch incubates between 8–12 weeks, and hatches in mid-autumn.

Species

    Farancia abacura - Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky.
        Eastern Mud Snake, Farancia abacura abacura (Holbrook, 1836)
        Western Mud Snake, Farancia abacura reinwardtii (Schlegel, 1837)
    Farancia erytrogramma - Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
        Rainbow Snake, Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma (Palisot de Beauvois, 1802)
        Florida Rainbow Snake, Farancia erytrogramma seminola (Neill, 1964)

Geographic range

The mud snake is found primarily in the southeastern United States, in the states of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky.


Cultural Significance

The mud snake is one of a few animals which may be the origin of the hoop snake myth. J.D. Wilson Writes:
“     Mud snakes are sometimes known as “hoop snakes” because of the myth that they will bite their own tail and roll after people.[1]     ”

The hoop snake myth has also been attributed to the Coachwhip snake.

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Most Venomous Snakes in the World

 1.Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus): It is one of the most venomous and deadliest snakes in the world. There are three main sub-species of Taipan such as Papuan Taipan (Oxyuranus s. canni), Western or Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus Microlepidotus) or (Fierce Snake) and Common or Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus Scutellatus). Taipans are found in Australia and New Guinea. Fierce snake or Inland Taipan is more toxic as compared to Papuan Taipan and Coastal Taipan. Inland Taipan is olive or brown in appearance, with uniformly black head or black marking on the head. Its habitat is grasslands and dry plains. Common or Coastal Taipan is dark or light brown in color with a paler shade on the sides and underside and lightly keeled scales. It is about 6 ft in length. It is found in the open woodlands and forests.

 2. Krait: This highly poisonous snake is found in Asia. It appears black or bluish-black in color with a white narrow cross-bands and a narrow head. Its average length is about 90cms. It is more active at night than during the day. It is 15 times more deadly than the common cobra. Its venom is a powerful neurotoxin, which causes the respiratory failure.
 
3. King cobra: It is world's largest venomous snake. Its average length is about 3.5 meters and it can be maximum 5.5 meters long. It appears uniformly brown, olive or green in color with black cross-bands. King cobra is commonly found in Southern China, Thailand, Philippines, South India and Malaysia Peninsula. Its venom is a neurotoxin type.
 
4. Russell's viper: Russell's viper is more commonly found in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysian Peninsula, Southern China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and surrounding islands. It has a light brown body with three rows of black or brown splotches having white or yellow border. Its average length is about 1 meter. It is responsible for relatively more human deaths than any other types of venomous snake. While attacking, it coils tightly, hisses and strikes with such a high speed that its victim gets little chance to escape. Its venom is of hemotoxin type, which is a powerful coagulant, causing damage to blood cells and tissues.
  
5. Black Mamba: It is Africa's most feared venomous snake. It is found in Africa's open woodlands and African savannas. It is highly toxic and notoriously aggressive. Its venom is a powerful neurotoxin. It appears uniformly black or brown. Its average length is about 4.3 meters. Its mouth has a black internal lining. It is known as world's fastest land snake with the top speed of 16-19 km/hr.

 6.Tiger snake: It is olive or dark brown in color with olive or yellowish belly and cross-bands. Its subspecies are found in Victoria and Tasmania and it is uniformly black. Its average length is about 1.2 to 1.8 meters. It is one of the most venomous snakes found in Australia. It is also found in New Guinea, Tasmania and Bass Strait Islands. Its venom is a potent neurotoxin that affects the central nervous system. It produces venom in high quantities, with an average yield of about 35 mg to 180 mg.
  
7. Western Brown Snake (Pseudonaja nuchalis): It is found in the grasslands, forests, deserts and gravelly plains. It is a native of Australia. It has a narrow black head and black neck. It may be black or light brown in color with narrow dark crossbars or a series of lighter bands around the body. It is about 1.5 meters in length. Its venom is neurotoxic.

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Rough Scaled Bush Viper (Atheris hispida)

Atheris hispida is a venomous viper species found in Central Africa. Known for its extremely keeled scales that give it an almost bristly appearance.[3] No subspecies are currently recognized.

 Description

The males of this species grow to maximum length of 73 cm (body 58 cm, tail 15 cm). Females grow to a maximum of 58 cm. The males are surprisingly long and slender compared to the females.

The head has a short snout, more so in males than in females. The eyes are large and surrounded by 9-16 circumorbital scales. Orbits separated by 7-9 scales. The nostril is like a slit and separated from the eye by two scales. The eye and the supralabials are separated by a single row of scales. The supralabials number 7-10, of which the fourth is enlarged.[3] The body is covered with elongated, heavily keeled scales that give this species a "shaggy", almost bristly appearance. The scales around the head and neck are the longest, decreasing posteriorly. Midbody, the dorsal scales number 15-19. There are 149-166 ventral scales and 35-64 subcaudals. The anal scale is single.

Common names

Rough-scaled bush viper, spiny bush viper, hairy bush viper, rough-scaled tree viper,African hairy bush viper, hairy viper.

The common name "hairy bush viper" should, however, be avoided for this species, as it will likely be confused with the recently described species, A. hirsuta, the specific name for which means "hairy".

Geographic range

Central Africa: DR Congo, south-west Uganda, west Kenya. The type locality given is "Lutunguru, Kivu" (DR Congo).[1]

More specifically, Spawls & Branch (1995) describe the distribution as isolated populations in Kivu and Orientale Provinces in DR Congo, southeastern Ruwenzori in Uganda and the Kakamega Forest in western Kenya.

Behavior

Capable of climbing reeds and stalks, this species is often found basking on top of flowers and terminal leaves. Mostly nocturnal.

 Feeding

Feeds on mammals, frogs, lizards and sometimes birds. Sometimes hunts for mammalian prey on the ground.

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Rosy boa

The Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) is a snake of the Boidae family, one of only two members of that family native to the United States. The other is the Rubber Boa (C. bottae). Rosy Boas are native to the American Southwest, and Baja and Sonora Mexico.

Description

These small attractive snakes attain a length of 39 in (1 m) (though some specimens from the coast of California reach 4 feet) and a large adult has a body width about the diameter of a golf ball. Coloration in Rosy Boas is highly variable. The common name is derived from the rosy or salmon coloration that is common on the belly of Rosy Boas originating from coastal southern California and Baja Mexico. Most Boas do not have this ventral coloration but instead have a series of dark to orange spots on a light-colored background.

Almost all Rosy Boas have at least some trace of three longitudinal stripes, one down the center of the back, and two on the lower sides. The appearance of these stripes varies widely from extremely straight and having high contrast with the interspaces to extremely broken with almost no contrast with the interspaces. Stripe colors can be orange, maroon, rust, brown, or black. The interspaces range from shades of light to dark gray, yellow, or tan.

Geographic range

The Rosy Boa is found in the southwestern United States in the states of California and Arizona, and northwestern Mexico in the states of Baja California and Sonora. In California, the Rosy Boa ranges throughout the Colorado and Mojave deserts and also occupies the coastal areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties. In Arizona, the Rosy Boa occupies the Mojave desert and the western areas of the Sonoran desert. It is absent from the eastern and northern halves of the state. In Sonora, the Rosy Boa ranges from the border with the United States south throughout the Sonoran Desert to at least as far south as Ortiz. In Baja California, the Rosy Boa is almost ubiquitous ranging throughout the entire peninsula except in areas of extremely dry or rockless desert.

Behavior

Rosy Boas spend most of their lives concealed beneath rocks and in crevices to escape the elements and natural predators. Granite outcroppings are the most common geologic association inhabited by the Rosy Boa. Less often they are found in association with volcanic or other rock types. Only in rare places do Rosy Boas inhabit rockless environments. In areas with few rocks Rosy Boas will use rodent burrows for concealment.


Rosy Boas' activity season follows local weather patterns; however, they are generally dormant during the winter, and active during the spring, summer and fall. Like all snakes, they are dependent on external temperatures to promote such normal bodily functions as digestion and gestation. Throughout most of their range the winter is too cold for these functions and the Rosy Boas go into a dormant state called brumation. The spring is breeding season for Rosy Boas, resulting in their highest rate of activity. Most Rosy Boas are encountered in spring as they leave the security of their rock piles and crevices to seek mates. Another reason Rosy Boas may be active on the surface of the ground is to find prey or new territory.


The surface activity of Rosy Boas can take place during any hour of the day, but during hot weather they are primarily nocturnal. In the spring, they are often abroad in the afternoon and early evening. In the late spring and summer, this activity period switches to from dusk to late into the night. Because most populations of Rosy Boas live in exceedingly dry habitats, their activity is often highly moisture dependent. During dry periods they remain deep underground to assist in remaining hydrated. Recent rainfall often results in a flurry of surface activity.

These snakes forage mainly for small mammals but have occasionally been known to take other prey items such as birds and lizards. Pack rats, baby rabbits, deer mice, and kangaroo rats make up a large portion of their diet. Rosy Boas are one of the slowest-moving species of snake in the world. They are unable to pursue prey and must either wait in ambush or stalk their meals. When a meal is within reach, usually a few inches, a Rosy Boa will strike with surprising speed and accuracy. Prey is secured with tiny rows of needle-sharp teeth, then suffocated through constriction.

Rosy Boas are extremely docile when encountered by humans. When disturbed they usually roll into a compact ball with the head in the center.[1] The species is not prone to bite in defense, and when human bites have occurred they have usually been the result of a feeding response with a captive animal. All Rosy Boa bites are nonvenomous. Their extreme docility and their attractive coloration have made Rosy Boas very popular with herpetoculturists.

Reproduction
Rosy Boas bear live young, about six in a brood. The newborns are about 30 cm (12 in.) in length.

In captivity
Their generally docile temperament, ease of care, and small size makes the Rosy Boa an ideal choice for a pet snake (or first boa). They are frequently captive bred, and readily feed on commercially available mice. Many color variations are available, including albinos as well as the many different subspecies that come in dozens of variations. With other species, such as corn snakes and ball pythons, dominating the majority of the market, the popularity of Rosy Boas hasn't been as high as the other more popular species.

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Sonora Semiannulata(GROUND SNAKE)

The common ground snake (Sonora semiannulata) is a species of small, harmless colubrid snake. It is sometimes referred to as the Western ground snake or variable ground snake as its patterning and coloration can vary widely, even within the same geographic region.

Description

Ground snakes can grow from 10 to 15 inches in length. Their colors and patterns can vary widely. They can be brown, red, or orange, with black banding, orange or brown striping, or be solid-colored. Their underside is typically white or grey. They have fairly smooth scales, a small head, and eyes with round pupils.

Habitat

Their preferred habitat is dry, rocky areas with loose soil.

Behavior

Ground snakes are typically nocturnal and secretive, but they are common throughout their range. They are often found on roadsides, or in dry drainage ditches at night, foraging for food.

Diet

Their diet consists primarily of invertebrates, such as spiders, scorpions, centipedes, crickets, and insect larvae.

Reproduction

They are oviparous, breeding and laying eggs through the summer months.

Taxonomy

Sonora semiannulata was once broken up into five separate subspecies, based on the vast differences in color and patterning that the species displays, but recent research has shown that the various colors and patterns of ground snake interbreed indiscriminantly, making distinction between them impossible and thus not warranting subspecies status, though some sources still refer to them - using geography as a basis rather than morphology.

ground snake

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Beauty Rat Snake(elaphe taeniura)

The Beauty Rat Snake (Orthriophis taeniurus) is a species of long, slender, semi-arboreal snakes that are native to Asia. Their average length is about 5-7 feet, with an unofficial record of slightly under 10 ft. In captivity some calm down to be nice pets, but others have been known to be quite temperamental even many years after capture.

elaphe taeniura bleue

Coloration

Ground color of yellowish-brown to olive. The tops of the head and neck are unicolor. The markings on the back almost always consist of two pairs of black rounded spots, which join together. From each eye there is a dark stripe, which extends to the corners of the mouth. The upper labials are yellowish-white. In addition, this subspecies has a much wider head and a longer tail.

Breeding

The temperature for hibernation is around 18-20*C. Mating usually results about a month after hibernation period. Hatchlings are about 30-45 cm in length and shed after about 14 days. Following shedding, pinkie mice should be fed immediately. They grow quickly and attain a length of 135 cm after only 14 months. They are capable of reproduction after only 18 months

Taiwanese Beauty Snake (Orthriophis taeniura friesi)

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California Kingsnake

The California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) is a non-venomous colubrid snake found in the western United States and northern Mexico. It is a relatively small subspecies of the Common Kingsnake[1] and is naturally found in a wide variety of habitats. One of the most popular snakes in captivity, the California Kingsnake can vary widely in appearance due to numerous naturally occurring and captive-developed color morphs.

California Kingsnake

Geographic range
The California Kingsnake is found in most of California and Arizona, including the highest mountain ranges, as well as southern portions of Nevada, Utah, and Oregon, northwestern New Mexico, extreme southwestern Colorado, and northwestern Mexico. In Arizona, they intergrade with the Desert Kingsnake or the Mexican Black Kingsnake.

Behavior

The Californian Kingsnake is generally diurnal, however they become more nocturnal if the weather is too hot.[1][2] In the winter, they will usually go deep underground and enter a hibernation-like state called brumation, which is characterized by a slowed metabolism and reduced activity.

California Kingsnakes are predators, feeding on almost any vertebrate they can overpower. Common food items include rodents, other reptiles, birds, and amphibians. All kingsnakes are non-venomous, but are powerful constrictors and generally kill their prey through suffocation. The "king" in their name refers to their propensity to hunt and consume other snakes, including venomous rattlesnakes. California Kingsnakes are naturally impervious to the venom of rattlesnakes but are not totally immune. They feed on rattlesnakes when the opportunity arises and a rattlesnake will make an easy meal for a hungry kingsnake, but do not seek out rattlesnakes specifically, nor consume them on a regular basis. Rattlesnakes and California Kingsnakes are not enemies, and may be found sharing the same piece of cover (i.e. plywood, tin, rocks, crevice, etc.) in the wild while completely ignoring the presence of the other.[3]

When disturbed, California Kingsnakes will often coil their bodies to hide their heads, hiss, and rattle their tails, which, if done in dry vegetation, can produce a sound somewhat resembling that of a rattlesnake's rattle. They are considered harmless to humans, but if handled it is common for this species to bite as well as excrete musk and fecal contents from their cloaca, but this latter habit is usually restricted to the females.[3]

Kingsnakes usually shed four to six times per year at which point they go "opaque", meaning the snake's skin becomes dull and its eyes will turn a milky color. Like all snakes, they usually shed in one long piece, which includes their eye scales. Juvenile snakes will shed more frequently, up to once a month, than adult snakes because of their faster rate of growth. Prior to shedding, they will generally seek out humid microclimates in their habitat.

Reproduction

The California Kingsnake is an oviparous internal fertilization animal, meaning it lays eggs as opposed to giving live birth like some other snakes. Courtship for this kingsnake begins in the spring and involves the males competing for available females. Eggs are laid between May and August which is generally 42–63 days after mating;[1] in preparation the female will have chosen a suitable location. The typical clutch size is five to twelve eggs with an average of nine,[1] though clutches of 20 or more eggs are known. The hatchlings usually emerge another 40–65 days later, and are approximately eight to thirteen inches in length

In captivity
The California Kingsnake is one of the most popular pet reptiles, due to its ease of care, attractive appearance, and ability to become tame. It is also the most widely bred, and as such most available, subspecies of the Common Kingsnake.[1] They are kept in glass, plastic or wooden enclosures with suitable equipment to provide the right temperature and humidity. Regardless of the type of cage, its security is of utmost importance to prevent the reptile from escaping. Young individuals do best in smaller cages, and can be moved to larger environments as they age, as enclosures that are too large can cause unnecessary stress. Common substrates suitable for use with California Kingsnakes are aspen shavings, newspaper, and paper towels. Cedar and pine shavings are toxic to reptiles and should not be used. When a kingsnake is preparing to shed, it needs a humid environment to help shed the old skin.[1] A box containing damp moss or moistened paper towels is often provided to facilitate this process.

Temperatures should be kept at around 80–85°F (27–29°C),[1] with the cool end of this range at one end of the enclosure and the warm at the other end. This provides a thermal gradient within which the snake can self-regulate its own body temperature. Temperatures should not be allowed to go above 90°F as this can cause severe health problems. Room temperature at night is fine; most wild snakes can take overnight temperatures as low as the high 40s. Humidity should be kept low (below 40%), and one suitable water bowl can provide this.[4]

Snakes should not be handled extensively for the following 48 hours after eating, which can cause the snake to regurgitate its prey. When handling a kingsnake, the entire body of the animal should be supported and not tightly restrained. Young snakes and any individuals not accustomed to being handled may bite and smear cloacal contents on the handler, though most kingsnakes learn to tolerate being handled by humans relatively quickly.

The King Snake is a non-venomous species that loops around, constricts and then squeezes the prey until it suffocates. The snake must not be fed frozen food. The food should be thawed to room temperature and then if desired, warmed slightly in the hands. Frozen prey will cause frostbite, which can be deadly for a snake.

Due to their cannibalistic nature, no more than one California Kingsnake should be kept in a single enclosure at once. Snakes in shared enclosures may attempt to eat each other, resulting in the death or injury of one or both snakes. The only time two snakes should be in one enclosure is if breeding efforts are ongoing.

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