Coachwhip
Coluber flagellum
Summary 7
Masticophis flagellum is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake, commonly referred to as the coachwhip or the whip snake, which is endemic to the United States and Mexico. Seven subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Morphology 8
This is a long, slender snake with smooth scales. The dorsal coloration in the adult varies from shades of tan, grey, pink, and red. Thin, white crossbars or blotches are found on the dorsal area behind the black or brown neck. The ventral surface is usually a tan to pinkish. Juveniles have tan, brown, or black transverse bands. In hatchlings the black neck is absent. The adult length ranges from 91.4-259 cm. The large eyes have round pupils, and are protected by supraocular scales. It has 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody, and a divided anal plate.(King 1979)
Sources and Credits
- (c) Kerry Matz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/47456931@N07/4365148317
- (c) 1999 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=1096&one=T
- (c) Todd Pierson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/0000_0000/1011/0193.jpeg
- (c) 2002 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=110494&one=T
- (c) 2002 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=110496&one=T
- (c) 2002 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=110491&one=T
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masticophis flagellum
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31405095
