Red-naped snake Facts
Red-naped snake Facts
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Interesting Red-naped snake Facts: |
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Red-naped snake is small snake that can reach 10 to 16 inches in length. Males are smaller than females. |
Red-naped snake has reddish-brown body. Scales on dorsal side of the body have dark edges that create reticulate pattern on the backs. Belly is creamy or white colored. Head and neck are black. |
Back of the head (nape) is covered with oval, diamond- or crescent-shaped patch that can be red or orange-colored, hence the name: red-naped snake. |
Red-naped snake has small black eyes and slender, partially flattened body covered with smooth scales. |
Red-naped snake is nocturnal animal (active during the night). |
Red-naped snake hides under the rocks, leaves, logs, sheets of iron or in the abandoned burrows and nests of ants and termites during the day. These shelters are often used by a group of red-naped snakes. |
Red-naped snake is terrestrial animal (it spends its life on the ground). |
Red-naped snakes is a carnivore (meat-eater). This snake is highly specialized for diet based on small lizards such as skink. Red-naped snake usually finds its prey hidden inside the burrows and fissures in the soil. |
Red-naped snakes use venom to kill their prey. They also squeeze the body of their victims to accelerate their death. |
Red-naped snake produces weak venom that cannot inflict serious damage to humans. It bites only in self-defense. Before the attack, red-naped snake erects its head and upper part of the body. First few times, snake will attack the intruder with closed mouth. Domestic cats are typical predators of red-naped snakes in urban areas. |
Red-naped snakes and yellow-faced whip snakes commonly hibernate in the same hibernacula (shelters used for hibernation). |
Mating season of red-naped snakes takes place during the cold part of the year. Red-naped snakes from the subtropical areas produce several offspring per year. |
Red-naped snake is oviparous species (type of snake that lays eggs). Female lays 1 to 10 eggs (usually 3) during the spring or summer. In the warm areas, eggs hatch during January. In the cooler parts of their range, red-naped snakes emerge from eggs during February. |
Red-naped snakes are 4.7 to 5.9 inches long at birth. They reach sexual maturity at the age of one year. |
Lifespan of red-naped snake in the wild is unknown. |
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