Toxicodryas blandingii
| Toxicodryas blandingii | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Toxicodryas |
| Species: | T. blandingii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Toxicodryas blandingii (Hallowell, 1844)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Toxicodryas blandingii, commonly known as **Blanding's cat snake** and **Blanding's tree snake**, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, blandingii, is in honor of William Blanding (1772–1857), an American physician and naturalist.[3]
Geographic range
[edit]T. blandingii is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.[2]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitats of T. blandingii are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft). However, it is also found in gardens, parks, and in and around houses.[1]
Description
[edit]T. blandingii is a long and slender species. The longest specimen measured by Boulenger (1896) had a total length of 2.2 m (7.2 ft), including a tail 0.5 m (1.6 ft) long.
Diet
[edit]T. blandingii preys upon lizards including dwarf chameleons, small mammals including bats, and birds.[1]
Reproduction
[edit]T. blandingii is oviparous.[2] Clutch size is 7–14 eggs.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Rödel, M-O.; Luiselli, L; Segniagbeto, G; Howell, K; Msuya, C.A.; Ngalason, W. (2021). "Toxicodryas blandingii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ a b c Species Toxicodryas blandingii at The Reptile Database
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
Further reading
[edit]- Boulenger, G.A. (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ)... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). pp. 77–78.
- Hallowell, E. (1844). "Descriptions of New Species of African Reptiles". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 2: 170–171.
- Nagy, Z.T.; Kusamba, C.; Tungaluna, G.G.; Lokasola, A.L.; Kolby, J.; Kielgast, J. (2011). "Foraging acrobatics of Toxicodryas blandingii in the Democratic Republic of the Congo". Herpetology Notes. 4: 91–92.
- Pauwels, O.S.G.; Vogel, G. (2011). "Ein Fall von Thanatose (Totstellreflex) bei Boiga blandingii (Squamata, Serpentes, Colubridae) in Gabun" [A case of thanatosis (play-dead reflex) in Boiga blandingii (Squamata, Serpentes, Colubridae) in Gabon]. Elaphe (in German). 19 (4): 24–25.
- Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Hinkel, H.; Menegon, M. (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. p. 511. ISBN 978-1472935618.
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