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Mountain Centipede Snake
Tantilla insulamontana
Tantilla insulamontana, the mountain centipede snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. The snake is found only in Ecuador. It is known as a critically endangered species but new data suggests there are improvements and they may now be considered endangered.
From the article Tantilla insulamontana on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
It has been reported that the total length from the snout to the tip of the tail is a total length of 40 cm. Females have an average length of 40.4 cm while males max out at about 24.9 cm. The tail averages 25% of the body length. Characteristics that present themselves is there is being a dark head cap and a pale lateral stripe. There are 59 to 65 subcaudal scales as well as 144 to 157 ventral's. Juveniles are slightly darker than the adult.
Wikipedia: “Anatomy and morphology”
Range & habitat
The distribution of this species is endemic to a small portion of southern Ecuador that is estimated to be about 1,069 km2 area that is located in the xeric inter-Andean valley. As of now, the Mountain Centipede-Snake has only been found in three provinces: El Oro, Loja, and Azuay. The altitudinal zonation is western subtropical and western temperate. The altitude range is 1250–2100 meters above sea level. Although rarely seen, these snakes have been seen during the months of December through April which constitutes Ecuador's rainy season.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
What it does
There is no published information about the diet but it is suggested they prey on centipedes as do other members of the genus.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
In human culture
The family of snakes known as Colubridae are small bodied snakes and is where the Latin genus name, "Tantilla" is derived from, meaning "small". The species name, "insulamontana" which references insula meaning "island" and montis meaning "mountain".
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Tantilla insulamontana in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 28501.