Forest vine snake

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Forest vine snake
Bonn zoological bulletin - Thelotornis kirtlandii.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thelotornis
Species:
T. kirtlandii
Binomial name
Thelotornis kirtlandii
(Hallowell, 1844)
Synonyms [2]
  • Leptophis kirtlandii
    Hallowell, 1844
  • Dryophis kirtlandii
    (Hallowell, 1844)
  • Oxybelis kirtlandii
    (Hallowell, 1844)

The forest vine snake (Thelotornis kirtlandii), also known commonly as the forest twig snake or simply the twig snake, and as the bird snake (as are other members of the genus Thelotornis), is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Africa.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, kirtlandii, is in honor of American naturalist Jared Potter Kirtland. [3]

Geographic range

T. kirtlandii is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, south to a latitude of about 17° S. It has been recorded from Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. [2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of T. kirtlandii are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft), but it is also found in artificial plantations. [1]

Behavior

T. kirtlandii is diurnal, and it is both arboreal and terrestrial. [1]

Diet

T. kirtlandii preys upon frogs, lizards, birds, and their eggs. [1]

Reproduction

T. kirtlandii is oviparous. [1] [2] Clutch size is four to ten eggs. [1]

Venom

T. kirtlandii produces a venom which is slow acting but potentially lethal. It causes non-clotting of blood and renal failure. There is no antivenom. [4]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Trape, J.-F.; Luiselli, L.; Penner, J.; Rödel, M.-O.; Segniagbeto, G.; Wagner, P.; Branch, W.R.; Safari, I.; Chenga, J. (2021). "Thelotornis kirtlandii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T13265657A13265670. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T13265657A13265670.en . Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Species Thelotornis kirtlandii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Thelotornis kirtlandi [sic]", p. 142).
  4. Spawls et al. (2018).

Further reading