Chilean green racer, Long-tailed snake
Philodryas chamissonis, commonly known as the Chilean green racer and the long-tailed snake, is a species of moderately venomous opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged) snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Chile.
The specific name, chamissonis, is in honor of German botanist and poet Adelbert von Chamisso.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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starts withUsually, P. chamissonis is gray, with black and white longitudinal stripes on the body. It is a medium-sized snake, which usually reaches 1.4 m (4.6 ft) in total length (including tail).
The length of the tail is 25-28.5 % of the total length. There are 8 upper labials, the 4th and 5th entering the eye. The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 19 rows at midbody. Ventrals 179-225; anal plate divided; subcaudals 100-122.
P. chamissonis has a large distribution in Chile, from Paposo to Valdivia.
P. chamissonis lives in a large variety of habitats, at altitudes from sea level to 2,300 m (7,500 ft).
Because P. chamissonis is rarely found, bites by it are uncommon. However, its bite is painful and causes extensive swelling.
The diet of P. chamissonis is mainly composed of little rodents, birds, amphibians, and other smaller reptiles. For example, it especially preys upon lizards of the genus Liolaemus.
P. chamissonis is an oviparous reptile.
