Summary ⁵

Oxyrhopus petola, commonly known as the false coral or calico snake, is a species of colubrid snake endemic to South America. According to Savage (2011) the correct scientific name should be Oxyrhopus petolarius.

Description ⁶

Adults of O. petolarius may attain a total length of 91 cm (36 in), which includes a tail 22 cm (8.7 in) long.

Coloration is variable. It usually consists of some combination of red and black rings or crossbands. In some individuals the light-colored crossbands are white instead of red on the anterior part of the body.

The dorsal scales are smooth, with apical pits, and are arranged in 19 rows at midbody.

Diet ⁶

O. petolarius feeds on lizards, frogs, small rodents, birds, and probably other snakes.

Venom ⁶

O. petolarius is rear-fanged, and its saliva is extremely toxic to Anolis lizards.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) FERNANDO CASTRO HERRERA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by FERNANDO CASTRO HERRERA
2. (c) Mateo.gable, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oxyrhopus_petolarius_-_Colombia.jpg
3. (c) 2007 Shawn Mallan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=233173&one=T
4. (c) 2010 Esteban Alzate, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=338137&one=T
5. Adapted by Leonardo Buitrago from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyrhopus_petolarius
6. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyrhopus_petolarius

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HerpMapper
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Snake Database
• The Reptile Database
• VertNet

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