Terre-de-Haut racer
The Terre-de-Haut racer (Alsophis sanctonum) is a species of snake found in the Caribbean, on the Lesser Antilles. This species is endemic to Terre-de-Bas Island and Terre-de-Haut Island which make up the Îles des Saintes. Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut are very small islands with a total area of approximately 13 km2. Because of its presence only on this small area, it is a highly protected species.
| Terre-de-Haut racer | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Alsophis |
| Species: | A. sanctonum |
| Binomial name | |
| Alsophis sanctonum Barbour, 1915 | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Alsophis antillensis | |
It can reach nearly a meter in length. It feeds on lizards and small rodents. It rarely bites humans, but may release a foul-smelling (though harmless) cloacal secretion when disturbed.
Habitat
Alsophis sanctonum occurs along mangrove edges, roadsides, gardens, wooded areas, preferentially in semi-deciduous forest with Pimenta racemosa, Pisonia grandis, Guapinol, and Bursera simaruba. It is present in areas less frequented by humans.
Subspecies
References
- Breuil, M.; Day, M. & Knapp, C. (2010). "Alsophis sanctonum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2011.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Barbour, Thomas (1915). "Recent notes regarding West Indian reptiles and amphibians". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 28: 71–78.
- Cochran, Doris Mable (1938). "Reptiles and amphibians from the Lesser Antilles collected by Dr. S. T. Danforth". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 51: 147–155.
- Questel, K. (2011). "ALSOPHIS : Les Serpents des Petites Antilles".
- Breuil, M. (2002). "Histoire naturelle des Amphibiens et des Reptiles terrestres de l'Archipel Guadeloupéen. Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy". Patrimoines Naturels. 54: 339.