Schokari sand racer

Forskals sand racing snake ( Psammophis schokari )

Fors ( s ) kals sand racing snake ( Psammophis schokari ) is a species of snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The distribution area extends from North Africa with Libya and Egypt on the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East to Pakistan, southern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India. It has the back of the jaw grooves teeth that are connected to poison glands, and is therefore not group monophyletischischen the illusion associated with snakes.

Features

Forskals sand racing snake is a medium sized snake, reaching an average length of about 100 to 120 cm. Like other sand racing snakes is a very slim, long-acting snake. The body color is light olive, light chestnut brown, gray-brown or yellowish. The back and edge pattern consists of bright - dark longitudinal lines with 5 light and 4 dark lines. The pattern can be made very indistinct or absent. On top of the head, the snake has dark elongated spots on the face plate, the supraorbital shields and neck. From the nostril over a dark eye-streak extends to the neck. The upper and lower lip shields are mottled dark. The belly is blue to light gray or reddish with a dark stippling and one or two dark lines. The body scales are smooth, the body acts therefore smooth and shiny.

The head is long and narrow and separated from the body. The large eyes have a round pupil. The face shield is designed to be very long, which is also long reins sign is in front of a Voraugenschild and thus does not hit on the front edge of the eyes. In addition, the snake two, rarely three, rear eye shields and nine, rarely eight or ten, upper lip shields, of which touch the 5th and 6th, rare the 4th and 5th, the eyes of the lower margin has. Around the middle of the body are 17-19 rows of scales.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area extends from North Africa with Libya and Egypt on the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East to Pakistan, southern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India. A series of sub-species with different distribution areas are recognized.

As a habitat, the animals inhabit desert areas with sparse vegetation, mainly sandy deserts, wadis and areas around oases.

Way of life

Forskals sand racing snake is crepuscular and nocturnal and moves very fast forward. She hides during the day mainly in abandoned rodent burrows. Your prey spectrum comprises mainly lizards and rare smaller birds nest and young mice. The trapped animals she holds in her jaws so tightly, until the poison in her home at the rear of the teeth fangs acts and paralyzes or kills the prey.

The Snake is oviparous, the clutch probably consist of less than 30 eggs. The young snakes hatch in late summer and begin already active after the first moult looking for food.

Snake venom

Sand racing snakes possess an effective for their prey poison that they can bring to a wound on the furrows behind permanent teeth ( opistoglyph ). The snakes can bite people when they are taken. The venom is relatively harmless to humans and usually comes through the far back standing fangs not used.