Galapagos racer

Galapagos racer
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Colubridae
Genus:Pseudalsophis
Species: P. biserialis
Binomial name
Pseudalsophis biserialis
(Günther, 1860)

The Galápagos racer (Pseudalsophis biserialis or Philodryas biserialis) is a Colubrid snake in the genus Pseudalsophis which is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is a mildly venomous constrictor and is considered non-aggressive and harmless to humans. There are two subspecies: the Eastern and Western racer, the latter being larger, longer and darker than the Eastern variety. The Western subspecies specializes in hunting fish, while both subspecies eat small reptiles, eggs, rodents and bird hatchlings. The Galapagos racer is near threatened due to recently introduced species that feed on snake eggs, including pigs, goats, and cats.[1][2][3] It is one of only three species of snakes on the Galápagos Islands, and it was first described in 1860.[4][5] In November 2016 a video clip from the BBC series Planet Earth II showing a group of Galápagos racers hunting marine iguana hatchlings became a viral trend.[6]

Taxonomy and etymology

Originally classified as Herpetodryas biserialis by Albert Günther in 1860,[7] this species has been renamed numerous times since then.[8][9] The generic names have included Dromicus, Orpheomorphus and Oraphis.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Márquez, C.; Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. & Yánez-Muñoz, M. (2017). "Pseudalsophis biserialis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2017: e.T190541A56253872. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T190541A56253872.en. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Pseudalsophis biserialis".
  3. ↑ "Galapagos racer - Galapagos Conservation Trust".
  4. ↑ Günther,A. 1860. On a new snake from the Galapagos islands. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 6: 78-79
  5. ↑ Thomas, Robert A 1997. Galapagos terrestrial snakes: biogeography and systematics. Herpetological Natural History 5 (1): 19-40
  6. ↑ Conversation, Rhys Jones, The. "In Defence of Racer Snakes - The 'Bad Guys' of Snake vs Iguana".
  7. ↑ Günther, A. 1860. On a new snake from the Galapagos Islands Herpetodryas biserialis. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1860: 97-98.
  8. ↑ George R. Zug (28 June 2013). Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands: A Comprehensive Guide. Univ of California Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-520-27495-2.
  9. ↑ Julian Fitter; Daniel Fitter; David Hosking (5 January 2016). Wildlife of the Galápagos: Second Edition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-691-17042-8.
  10. ↑ Van Denburgh}pages=325-327, John (1912). The Snakes of the Galapagos Islands. California Academy of Science.
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