California night snake

The California night snake (Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus nuchalata) is a subspecies of small colubrid snake native to California.[2]

California night snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Hypsiglena
Species:
Subspecies:
H. o. nuchalata
Trinomial name
Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus nuchalata
California night snake range
Synonyms
  • Hypsiglena nuchalatus
    W.W. Tanner, 1943
  • Hypsiglena torquata nuchalata
    A.H. Wright & A.A. Wright, 1957[1]

Description

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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

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As their common name implies, they are a primarily nocturnal snake.[3]

Diet

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Their diet consists primarily of lizards, but they will also eat smaller snakes, and occasionally the soft bodied insect.

Habitat

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They prefer semiarid habitats with rocky soils.

Reproduction

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They are an oviparous subspecies that breeds from April to September.

Geographic range

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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

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  1. ^ 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.)
  2. ^ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  3. ^ 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

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  • 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.)
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