Boaedon lineatus
Encyclopedia
The Striped House Snake (Boaedon lineatus) is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of colubrid
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...

 from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. This species has a wide range stretching from Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

 through Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....

 as far as Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

. They are kept as pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...

s with increasing regularity, they are often captured and export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...

ed for the pet trade. There are at least two subspecies (below).
Until November of 2010, this species was grouped in the genus: Lamprophis
Lamprophis
Lamprophis is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly referred to as African house snakes. They are small, non-venomous snakes. They exhibit a wide variety of pattern variation, and may be spotted, striped, or solid colored...

but a paper was published by Kelly et al. reclassifying this species to the Boaedon
Boaedon
Boaedon is a genus of African Colubrids consisting of the African House Snakes. The genus was originally described by Duméril but the species contained were reclassified as Lamprophis by Fitzinger in 1843, this taxonomy remained true until November 2010 when a study was published by Kelly, C.M.R...

genus.

Boaedon lineatus lineatus

The Striped House Snake, this nominate subspecies is highly variable in appearance, their colour varying from deep black through light reddish brown. Their eyes are large & 'bug-like' with vertical elliptical pupil
Pupil
The pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...

s. Stripes stretch from the rostral scale above the mouth through the eye to the rear of the head where they terminate. On the sides, thick, bold white/cream stripes stretch laterally along the length of the body, these occasionally terminate after around two thirds of the body & may be broken or very pale. Striped House Snakes are highly sexually dimorphic, females growing far larger than males, reaching lengths of around 100 centimetres (39.4 in) males generally smaller rarely exceeding 60 centimetres (23.6 in). As with all members in the genus Boaedon
Boaedon
Boaedon is a genus of African Colubrids consisting of the African House Snakes. The genus was originally described by Duméril but the species contained were reclassified as Lamprophis by Fitzinger in 1843, this taxonomy remained true until November 2010 when a study was published by Kelly, C.M.R...

these snakes are highly iridescent, having an oil-on-water sheen
Sheen
Sheen could mean:Places:*In south west London, England:** Sheen or West Sheen, an alternative name for Richmond, London** East Sheen** North Sheen** Sheen Priory* Sheen, Staffordshire, United Kingdom...

 in certain lights.

Boaedon lineatus bedriagae

The São Tomé House Snake, known locally as "Cobra Jita" is a subspecies of Boaedon lineatus that occurs on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...

. Little is known about these snakes, they appear to be deep brown in colour with lateral striping similar to that of B. lineatus, many specimens are found to have bands running down either side of the spine & connecting bands between, similar to B. capensis - these markings often fade after 3/4 of the body. They have the striping from the rostral scale through the eye to the back of the head. This species appears not to present with the large, 'bug-eyes' of the B. lineatus.

Behaviour and diet

In the wild, this species is known to occur around human habitation, opportunistically feeding on the rodents that gather there around human waste. They are known to feed on chicks & small lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

s also. They are known to breed year-round and, unlike in captivity, breed once per year. Hatchlings are usually around 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in length. These are nocturnal in nature and are known to occur at 1000 feet above sea level.

In captivity

This species is increasingly more common in captivity with more individuals beginning to keep and breed them. They are often imported from Tanzania as Wild Caught or Captive Farmed individuals. No known genetically inheritable mutations are currently available. This species fares well in captivity, with some TLC they feed well on defrosted rodents & breed, laying 3–6 clutches of around 8–15 eggs per year. Care is basic & in time, as they become more readily available, this species should grow in popularity.

External links

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