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Species of snake From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indian egg-eating snake or Indian egg-eater (Elachistodon westermanni) is a rare species of egg-eating snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It is also called Westermann's snake, reflecting its scientific name.[1] The snake belongs to the monotypic genus Elachistodon.[3]
| Indian egg-eating snake | |
|---|---|
| |
| Indian egg-eater at Amravati | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Elachistodon Reinhardt, 1863 |
| Species: | E. westermanni |
| Binomial name | |
| Elachistodon westermanni Reinhardt, 1863 | |
 | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
The specific name, westermanni, is in honor of Dutch zoologist Geraldus Frederick Westermann (1807–1890).[4]
The Indian egg-eating snake is found in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Recent discoveries of the species come from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.[5][6][7][8][9]
The preferred natural habitats of E. westermanni are forest and shrubland, at altitudes of 40–1,000 m (130–3,280 ft).[1]
E. westermanni is glossy brown to black, with bluish white flecks posteriorly and a middorsal creamy stripe from neck to tail tip. The head is brown with a black arrow mark. The ventrals are white with brown dots. Adults may attain a total length of 78 cm (31 inches), with a tail 11 cm (4+1⁄4 inches) long.[10]
The Indian egg-eating snake is a diurnal[1] or nocturnal, terrestrial species that shows remarkable dexterity in scaling vegetation. When provoked, it raises the anterior portion of the body, forming S-shaped coils as a defensive strategy.[9]
E. westermanni exclusively feeds on bird eggs that lack embryonic growth. It has special adaptations such as vertebral hypapophyses, projections of the cervical vertebrae, that jut into the oesophagus, are enamel-capped, and help in cracking eggs.[10] The only other snakes that share these egg-eating adaptations are in the genus Dasypeltis found in Africa.[11]
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