Telescopus
Encyclopedia
Telescopus, the Old World catsnakes, is a genus
of 12 species
of opisthoglyphous snakes in the Colubridae family.
and Pakistan
through to southern and western Africa
, plus two species in northern Eurasia
.
), which is orange in color with black saddles along its back.
, although some members of the genus may occasionally prey on small birds, rodents and amphibians.
. However, some members of the Telescopus genus such as T. dhara have particularly large venom glands, and the venom toxicity in some species has been compared to that of the Acanthophis
species. For these reasons it is advisable that all Telescopus species be handled with caution. It is also important to consider that allergic reactions are possible after a bite, and such a reaction would significantly worsen the effects of an envenomation
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of 12 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 opisthoglyphous snakes in the Colubridae family.
Geographic range
They are found from the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
through to southern and western 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...
, plus two species in northern Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
.
Description
The genus is characterised by having a slender slightly flattened cylindrical body and attaining a size of between 80–180 cm (about 2½-6 feet). They have medium-large eyes with vertical pupils, a typical feature of nocturnal reptiles, and are smooth scaled. The dentition of the genus is as follows; typically 10–12 maxillary teeth, with a space before a pair of grooved fangs at the rear of the mouth, approximately level with the eyes. The anterior mandibular teeth are usually longer than the posterior mandibular teeth, perhaps to aid the arboreal species in catching and holding prey whilst in trees. The species are mostly drab, spotted snakes, but include the spectacular tiger snake (T. semiannulatusTelescopus semiannulatus
Telescopus semiannulatus, commonly known as the tiger snake, tiger cat snake, or striped cat snake is a species of colubrid snake.-Geographic range:...
), which is orange in color with black saddles along its back.
Habitat and Behavoiur
This genus Telescopus includes both arboreal and terrestrial species, and can be found from sea level up to 2,000 metres (about 6,600 feet) above sea level. They are nocturnal hunting snakes with a distinct head and large eyes.Diet
The primary prey species are small lizards, including geckosGeckOS
GeckOS is an experimental operating system for MOS 6502 and compatible processors. It offers some Unix-like functionality including preemptive multitasking, multithreading, semaphores, signals, binary relocation, TCP/IP networking via SLIP and a 6502 standard library.GeckOS includes native support...
, although some members of the genus may occasionally prey on small birds, rodents and amphibians.
Venom
All species in the Telescopus genus are venomous, with the venom being of a neurotoxic nature, however they are not considered particularly harmful to man. This is because the opisthoglyphous venom-delivery system is not as efficient as the delivery systems found in Elapids and ViperidaeViperidae
The Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except in Antarctica, Australia, Ireland, Madagascar, Hawaii, various other isolated islands, and above the Arctic Circle. All have relatively long, hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom. Four...
. However, some members of the Telescopus genus such as T. dhara have particularly large venom glands, and the venom toxicity in some species has been compared to that of the Acanthophis
Acanthophis
Acanthophis is a genus of elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world...
species. For these reasons it is advisable that all Telescopus species be handled with caution. It is also important to consider that allergic reactions are possible after a bite, and such a reaction would significantly worsen the effects of an envenomation
Envenomation
Envenomation is the process by which venom is injected into some animal by the bite of a venomous animal. Many kinds of animals, including mammals , reptiles , spiders , insects , employ venom for hunting and for self defense...
.
Species
- Telescopus beetzi (BarbourThomas BarbourThomas Barbour was an American herpetologist. From 1927 until 1946, he was director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology founded in 1859 by Louis Agassiz at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, 1922) - Telescopus dhara (ForskålPeter ForsskålPeter Forsskål, sometimes spelled Pehr Forsskål, Peter Forskaol, Petrus Forskål or Pehr Forsskåhl, was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Early life:...
, 1775) - Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831)
- Telescopus gezirae Broadley, 1994
- Telescopus hoogstraaliTelescopus hoogstraaliTelescopus hoogstraali is an endangered species of snake in the Colubridae family.-Geographic region:It is found around the Sinai region, in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as Jordan.-Habitat:...
SchmidtKarl Patterson SchmidtKarl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.-Biography:Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt's father was a German professor who, at the time of Schmidt's birth, was teaching in Lake Forest, Illinois. His family left the city in 1907 and settled...
& Marx, 1956 - Telescopus nigriceps (AhlErnst AhlChristoph Gustav Ernst Ahl was a German zoologist.He was the director of the department of ichthyology and herpetology in the Museum für Naturkunde....
, 1924) - Telescopus pulcher (Scortecci, 1935)
- Telescopus rhinopoma (BlanfordWilliam Thomas BlanfordWilliam Thomas Blanford was an English geologist and naturalist. He is best remembered as the editor of a major series on The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma.-Biography:Blanford was born in London...
, 1874) - Telescopus semiannulatusTelescopus semiannulatusTelescopus semiannulatus, commonly known as the tiger snake, tiger cat snake, or striped cat snake is a species of colubrid snake.-Geographic range:...
A. SmithAndrew Smith (zoologist)Sir Andrew Smith KCB was a Scottish surgeon, explorer, ethnologist and zoologist. He is considered the father of Zoology in South Africa having described many species across a wide range of groups in his major work, Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa.Smith was born in Hawick, Roxburghshire...
, 1849 - Telescopus tessellatus (WallFrank WallFrank Wall was a physician and herpetologist who lived in Sri Lanka and India.Wall was born in Colombo, Ceylon . His father worked there and was responsible for initiating the study of natural history on the island. Wall studied medicine in London and joined the Indian Medical Service in 1893...
, 1908) - Telescopus tripolitanus (WernerFranz WernerFranz Werner was an Austrian zoologist and explorer. Specializing as a herpetologist and entomologist, Werner described numerous species and other taxa of frogs, snakes, insects, and other organisms....
, 1908) - Telescopus variegatus (J.T. ReinhardtJohannes Theodor ReinhardtJohannes Theodor Reinhardt was a Danish zoologist and herpetologist. He was the son of Johannes Christopher Hagemann Reinhardt....
, 1843)