Aspidites ramsayi
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Aspidites ramsayi is a non-venomous snake, a species of python found in Australia. No subspecies are currently recognized.[5]
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[edit] Description
Adults average 1.5 m (4.5 feet) in length. The head is narrow and the eyes small. The body is broad and flattish in profile while the tail tapers to a thin point. The scales are small and smooth and in appearance. The dorsal scales are smooth with 50-65 rows at midbody, 280-315 ventral scales, an undivided anal plate and 40-45 mostly single subcaudal scales. Some of the posterior subcaudals may be irregularly divided.
The color may be pale brown to nearly black. The pattern consists of a ground colour that varies from medium brown and olive to lighter shades of orange, pink and red, overlaid with darker striped or brindled markings. The belly is cream or light yellow with brown and pink blotches. The scales around the eyes are usually a darker color than the rest of the head.
A. ramsayi may reach a total length of 2.3 m, with a snout-vent length of 2.0 meters. Aspidites lack the heat sensing pits of all other pythons. Aspidites ramsayi is similar in appearance to Morelia spilota imbricata, but without an obvious neck. The colouration or desire to locate this species may lead to confusion with the venomous species Gwardar.[4]
[edit] Geographic range
Found in Australia in the west and center of the country: from Western Australia through southern Northern Territory and northern South Australia to southern Queensland and northwestern New South Wales. Its range may be discontinuous. The type locality given is "near Forte Bourke" [New South Wales, Australia].[1]
The range in Southwest Australia extends from Shark Bay, along the coast and inland regions, and was previously common on sandplains. The species was recorded in regions to the south and east, with once extensive wheatbelt and goldfield populations.[4]
[edit] Conservation status
This species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: A1c (v2.3, 1994).[6] A species is listed as such when the best available evidence indicates that a population reduction of at least 50% has occurred over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat. It is therefore considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Year assessed: 1996.[7]
The Adelaide Zoo in South Australia is co-ordinating a captive breeding program for the species, and the offspring raised are being released back into the Arid Recovery Reserve near Roxby Downs in the states north.
Many populations in the southwest of the country, since the 1960s, became critically endangered by altered land use. The sharp decline in numbers,without an authenticated record since 1989, was most notable in the Wheatbelt areas.[4]
[edit] Behavior
Largely nocturnal. By day this snake may be found sheltering in hollow logs or under leaf debris.
[edit] Feeding
These snakes feed mostly by raiding nests of rodents. They enter a nest and use their bodies to crush their prey against the walls of the burrow. This technique often results in scarring as it is not always successful in quickly killing the prey.[8]
Although this species will take warm-blooded prey, Aspidites ramsayi prey mainly on reptiles. Related species of the region have few of the family's heat-sensing pits, A. ramsayi have none.[4]
[edit] Reproduction
Oviparous with 5-20 eggs per clutch. Females remain coiled around their eggs until they hatch, with the incubation period lasting 2-3 months.
[edit] Captivity
Considered very docile and easy to handle, it is a highly sought after exotic pet. Although it is considered to be an endangered species, largely due to shrinking territory, this snake can be bred in captivity.
[edit] See also
- List of pythonid species and subspecies.
- Pythonidae by common name.
- Pythonidae by taxonomic synonyms.
[edit] References
- ^ a b McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ^ Western Australian Reptile Species at Frank O'Connor's Birding Western Australia. Accessed 20 September 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Browne-Cooper, R., Bush, B., Maryan, B., Robinson, D. (2007). Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia. University of Western Australia Press, 237, 238. ISBN 9778 1 920694 74 6.
- ^ Aspidites ramsayi (TSN 634770). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 19 September 2007.
- ^ Aspidites ramsayi at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 19 September 2007.
- ^ 1994 Categories & Criteria (version 2.3) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 19 September 2007.
- ^ arkive.org
[edit] External links
- Aspidites ramsayi at the TIGR Reptile Database. Accessed 19 September 2007.
