The short-tailed snake (''Lampropeltis extenuata'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of small harmless snake in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. C ...

. Fossorial and seldom seen, the short-tailed snake is found only in sandy, upland parts of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

where it is listed as "Threatened" and is protected by state law.

Etymology

The short-tailed snake's tail comprises less than ten percent of the snake's total length, hence the common name. Originally described and named by A. Erwin Brown in 1890 as ''Stilosoma extenuatum'', its

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

name was derived from the Greek ''stylos'' for "pillar" and ''soma'' for "body". This refers to the stiffness of the short-tailed snake's body, which is caused by its wide and inflexible column of unusually short vertebrae. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''extenuata'', is Latin for "thin" or "slender".

Description

The short-tailed snake is a small serpent averaging in total length (tail included), with a record total length measurement of , and is perhaps as thin as a pencil. It is gray above with 50 to 80 dark blotches and may or may not have a yellow stripe running down the spine. The underside is white with dark brown blotches. It bears a more-than-superficial resemblance to other kingsnakes, especially the mole kingsnake ('' Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata''), but can be distinguished by its smaller size and much more slender build. Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, A Division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes) (Genus ''Stilosoma'', p. 692; ''Stilosoma extenuatum'', pp. 693–696, Map 52 + Figure 204 on p. 698). Also, ''Lampropeltis extenuatua'' has six

upper labials In reptiles, the supralabial scales, also called upper-labials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the upper jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates ( ...

, whereas other kingsnakes of the genus '' Lampropeltis'' have seven upper labials.

Behavior

The short-tailed snake is as poorly understood as it is seldom-seen, rare and geographically limited. It is a burrowing snake that rarely appears above ground and does so even more rarely during the day. Like other snakes of the tribe Lampropeltini, it vibrates its tail when startled by predators or people but can be distinguished from a rattlesnake by its slender build and lack of a rattle. An excitable snake, it makes a poor captive and is protected against harassment or captivity by Florida law. Despite this, much of what little we know about the short-tailed snake has been based on observations of captive specimens.

Diet

Captive specimens of ''Lampropeltis extenuata'' show a keen preference for black-crowned snakes of the genus ''

Tantilla ''Tantilla'' is a large genus of harmless New World snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus includes 66 species, which are commonly known as centipede snakes, black-headed snakes, and flathead snakes. Wilson, Larry David (1982). Tanti ...

'' and will often eat them exclusively, rejecting other species of small snake or lizard. It is possible that black-crowned snakes, some of which are themselves small, burrowing snakes endemic to Florida, comprise the entire diet of wild short-tailed snakes.

Geographic range

The short-tailed snake is found only in a handful of counties in central Florida.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

of the short-tailed snake is sandy-soiled pine or oak

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, but it may be found in other habitats, provided it has access to prey and suitable soil for burrowing.

Reproduction

''Lampropeltis extenuata'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

Evolution and taxonomy

As a member of the tribe Lampropeltini, ''Lampropeltis extenuata'' is ultimately derived from Old World rat snakes that crossed the Bering Land Bridge into North America more than 20 million years ago. More recently, ''L. extenuata'' is a relict of the Miocene "Florida Island", separated from the mainland by higher sea levels. It is closely related to the kingsnakes and still bears a resemblance to the mole kingsnake which is also found in Florida. One fossil species, ''Stilosoma vetustum'', dates from the late Miocene, some 5–10 million years ago. How far divergent ''L. extenuata'' is from its kingsnake ancestors is still a matter of debate. In 2009 Pyron and Burbrink resolved to include it in the kingsnake genus ''Lampropeltis'' based on multiple lines of molecular and morphological evidence obtained in theirs and earlier studies.

References

External links

Fossil snakes of North America: origin, evolution, distribution, paleoecology
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2042509 Lampropeltis Reptiles described in 1890 Endemic reptiles of the United States