Barbados Racer
Encyclopedia
The Barbados Racer is a species of colubrid
snake
that is endemic to Barbados
. Though it is classified as endangered
, it is actually believed to be extinct, as there has not been a confirmed sighting since 1961. Habitat loss is believed to have caused its decline, particularly the land clearance and pesticide use associated with tree crops.
It grew to 88 mm long. It was colored brown with lighter sides, and light lateral stripes to the rear. It probably lived in mesic habitat
s, and actively foraged during the day for lizards and frogs.
Another common name
is the Tan Ground Snake.
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
that is endemic to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. Though it is classified as endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, it is actually believed to be extinct, as there has not been a confirmed sighting since 1961. Habitat loss is believed to have caused its decline, particularly the land clearance and pesticide use associated with tree crops.
It grew to 88 mm long. It was colored brown with lighter sides, and light lateral stripes to the rear. It probably lived in mesic habitat
Mesic habitat
In ecology, a mesic habitat is a type of habitat with a moderate or well-balanced supply of moisture, e.g., a mesic forest, a temperate hardwood forest, or dry-mesic prairie. Compared to a dry habitat, a mesic habitat is moister....
s, and actively foraged during the day for lizards and frogs.
Another common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
is the Tan Ground Snake.
External links
- Liophis perfuscus at the Encyclopedia of LifeEncyclopedia of LifeThe Encyclopedia of Life is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.9 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world...
- Liophis perfuscus at the Reptile Database