Colubridae family

In our country they have been located, more than 38 sorts of this family, with numerous species and subspecies.

This one is the most abundant family of snakes, respresented by near 1,500 species, more than two thirds of the total of snakes in the world.

Habitad practically is in everything, and is the unique representative who is in climates temperings.

Due to the great number of sorts, the taxonomy of this family is very complicated, not existing a consensus between the different authors. For the New World an orthodox division in two subfamilies stays, Xenodontinae and Colubridae.

In Venezuela these snakes that are around 74% of the total of snakes of the country.Display some common characteristics by which it is possible to be recognized to them:

Those of diurnal habits they have great eyes with round pupils; those of habits nocturnes they have vertical pupil.

The colors in the skin of the colubriths ones generally are enough shining except for some exceptions and it lies down to them to confuse much with species of the Elapidae sort by his dots.

Following the species, a group owns teething aglif, and another teething opistogliph. these eyeteeth are not for the hunting because by his location hardly they can cause wounded. Its function is the one to hold and to place the saliva in the prey when to swallow it.

More than 500 species of the Colubridae family they are opistoglifas, but some really cause serious envenomations in humans. In Venezuela accidents by Lora are described (Philodryas viridissimus, P. olfersii herbeus) and a few others.

Other Species cause slight envenomations in humans, such as Leptodeira, Thamnodynastes and Erythrolamprus among others, have been realized even studies on the poison of other species which reflect that its venon is more powerful than the one of the Bothrops but due to the amount that these produce they cause that this venon is slight in the human beings.

Its body is slim, smooth and shining that allows to slide with great fluidity and speed them in the ground or between the branches. By its coloration so varied, the tendency exists to divide them in two general groups: those species whose coloration consists of spots or dark and clear cross-sectional bands, calls commonly " tigras" and those of coloration uniform or two longitudinal dark lines, calls "cazadoras".

They are of habits very varied, terrestrial, arboreal and aquatic, practically occupying everything hábitad. In his majority they are inoffensive avoiding the encounter with the humans, even those that own venon (this one is very weak, which noncause damage to the man in some species). When they are catched are defended with furious bites, able to leave wounds sharp that do not involve danger.

Of " tigras" it is necessary to mention those that merge the coloration of venomous snakes. False mapanares has triangular head, somewhat vertical pupils, coloration of darker cross-sectional spots in the back, that makes difficult to distinguish them of its poisonous relatives.

They are characterized to have movable face bones and to maxilar horizontal and without perpendicular movement.

The scales of the head (cephalic) of these snakes are always great and in the form of plate. The eyes of the colúbrith's ones are always very visible.

References:

Kornacker, P. M. 1999. Checklist and key to the snakes of Venezuela / Lista sistemática y clave para las serpientes de Venezuela. PaKo-Verlag. 270 pp.

Lancini, A. R. 1979. Serpientes de Venezuela. Armitano Editores. 262 pp.

Lancini, A. R. y P.M. Kornacker. 1989. Die Schlagen von Venezuela. Armitano Editores. 381 pp.

Navarrete, L. F., J. C. López Johnston y A. Blanco Dávila. (s/f) 2006. Guía de las Serpientes de Venezuela Biología, venenos, conservación y checklist. Gráficas Lauki. 75 pp.