The corn snake ( Pantherophis guttatus ) is a species of North American rat snake that subdues its small prey with narrowing. It is found throughout the southeastern and central United States. Their benign nature, the aversion to biting, moderate adult size, attractive patterns, and relatively simple care make them popular snakes. Although superficially resembling a venomous copperhead and often killed as a result of this identity error, corn snakes are harmless and beneficial to humans. The corn snake has no functional toxins and helps control the population of wild rat rodents that damage crops and spread disease.
The corn snake is named for the existence of this species near a grain store, where it preys on mice and rats that feed on harvested corn. The Oxford English Dictionary cites this use since 1675. Some sources suggest that corn snakes are so named because of the distinctive pattern distinct from the scale of a snake's abdomen resembling a corn kernel of a wide variety. Regardless of the origin of the name, the reference of maize can be a useful mnemonic for identifying corn snakes.
Video Corn snake
Description
Adult corn snake has a body length of 61-182 centimeters (2.00-5.97 feet). In the wild, they usually live about 6-8 years, but in captivity can live up to the age of 23 years or older. They can be distinguished from Copperhead snakes with their brighter colors, slender body shape, round pupils and lack of heat sensing holes.
Maps Corn snake
Taxonomy
Until 2002, the maize snake was considered to have two subspecies: the subspecies nominate ( Pantherophis guttatus guttatus ) described here and the Great Plains rats ( Pantherophis guttatus emoryi ). The Great Plains rat snake has been separated as its own species ( Pantherophis emoryi ), but is sometimes still treated as a subspecies of corn snakes by hobbyists.
It has been suggested that Pantherophis guttatus can be divided into three species: Pantherophis guttatus , Pantherophis emoryi (corresponding to subspecies Pantherophis guttatus) emoryi ) and Pantherophis slowinskii (occurring in west Louisiana and adjacent Texas).
Pantherophis guttatus was previously placed in the genus of Elaphe, but Elaphe was found to be paraphyletic by Utiger et al., which led to the placement of this species.
in the genus Pantherophis . The placement of Pantherophis guttatus and some related species at Pantherophis rather than Elaphe has been confirmed by further phylogenetic studies. Many reference materials still use the synonym of Elaphe guttata. Molecular data have shown that maize snakes are actually more closely related to the king's snake (genus Lampropeltis ) than the Old World snake rats with previously classified. The corn snake even grew up in captivity with the California snake king to produce a fertile hybrid known as "Forest corn snake".
Natural habitats
Wild corn snakes prefer habitats such as overgrown fields, forest openings, trees, palm tree trees and abandoned or rarely used buildings and farms, from sea level to as high as 6,000 feet. Usually, the snake stays on the ground until the age of 4 months but can climb trees, cliffs and other elevated surfaces. They can be found in the southeastern United States ranging from New Jersey to the Florida Keys and as far west as Utah.
In colder areas, hibernation snakes during the winter. However, in more temperate climates along the coast they shelter in crevices of rocks and logs during cold weather, and come out on warm days to absorb the sun's heat. During cold weather, snakes are less active and therefore hunt less.
Reproduction
Snake corn is relatively easy to breed. Although not required, they are usually entered through a cooling period (also known as brumasi) which takes 60-90 days. This is to get them ready to breed and tell them it's time to reproduce. Corn hardened about 10 to 16 Â ° C (50 to 61 Â ° F) in places where they can not be disturbed and with little sunlight.
Snake corn usually breed shortly after winter cooling. Female male courts are mainly with touch and chemical signals, then deflect one of his hemipenes, put it into a female, and ejaculate the sperm. If the female ovulates, the egg will be fertilized, and she will begin to absorb the nutrients into the egg, then secrete the shell.
The laying of the eggs occurs a little over a month after mating, with 12-24 eggs stored in warm, humid, and hidden locations. After laying the adult snakes leave the eggs and do not return to them. Eggs are oval with shell, flexible shell. About 10 weeks after laying, young snakes use special scales called egg teeth to cut the cracks in the eggshell, from which they appear at about 5 inches in length.
Diet and behavior
Like all snakes, corn snakes are carnivores, and in the wild they eat every few days. While most corn snakes will eat small rodents, such as the White-legged Mouse, they can also eat reptiles or amphibians, or climb trees to find unattended bird eggs. A behavioral/chemosensory study with corn snake suggests that odor signaling is the most important for detection of prey, while visual cues are of secondary importance. Like many species of Colubridae, maize snakes exhibit the behavior of defensive tail vibrations.
It has been found that American "rat snakes", such as Pantherophis guttatus, have a venomous ancestor who lost their poison after they evolved as a means of catching prey.
In captivity
The corn snake is one of the most popular types of snakes to keep or as a pet. Their size, quiet temperament, and ease of care contribute to this popularity. The tolerant mace of corn snake is handled by the owner, even for a long time. The requirement of the corn snake space is low because the 20 to 25 gallon vivarium provides enough room for the adult snake. Corn snakes love to hide and dig, usually accommodated with loose substrates (such as wood shavings or newspapers from Aspen) and one or more hidden boxes. Squirrel corn snakes are generally given pre-killing or stunned feeding mice, because raised rodents will reduce the risk of pathogens or induced injuries.
Variations
There are tens of thousands of possible compound morphs. Some of the most popular are listed.
- Snow (Amelanistic Anerythristic) As a child of this color variation consists of white and pink spots. These white-dominated snakes tend to have yellow neck and throat areas when adults (due to carotenoid retention in their diet). Dangerous glow and background colors have a beige, ivory, pink, green, or yellow gradient.
- Blizzard (Amelanistic Charcoal). A snowstorm is a snake that is completely white with red eyes and very little or no pattern.
- Ghost (Hypomelanistic Anerythristic A) This exhibition showcases shades of gray and tan on a lighter background. This often makes pastel colors in lavender, pink, orange, and chocolate.
- Phantom This is a combination of Charcoal and Hypomelanistics.
- Pewter (Charcoal Disseminated) is a very small silver lavender in adulthood.
- Butter (Amelanistic Caramel) Two-tone yellow corn.
- Amber (Hypomelanistic Caramel) has a yellow mark on a light brown background.
- Plasma (Diffused Lavender) Hatch in a variety of grayish purple.
- Opal (Amelanistic Lavender) looks like a blizzard corn snake as an adult with pink highlights to purple.
- Granite (Difused Anerythristic) tends to have a gray color variation as adults, with males often having pink highlights.
- Fire (Amelanistic Diffused) is an albino version of diffuse morph. These are usually very bright red snakes with very small patterns as adults.
Mutation scale
- Scaleless corn snakes are homozygous for the recessive mutations of the genes responsible for scale development. Although not entirely devoid of the above scalar, some have fewer scales than others. However, everything has a stomach scale (stomach). They can also be produced with one of those colored morphs. The first scaleless corn comes from the cross of the North American ratsnake species to the corn snake and is therefore technically a hybrid. A flawless mutant of many other snake species has also been documented in the wild.
Hybrids
The hybrids between snakes of maize and other snakes are very common in captivity and are rare in the wild. Hybrids in the Pantherophis , Lampropeltis , or Pituophis have so far proven to be really fertile. There are many hybrids of corn snakes grown in captivity. Some common examples include:
- The forest The corn snake is a hybrid using corn snakes and California Kingsnake ( Lampropeltis getula californiae ). This shows the variations in extreme patterns that take the mark of both parents. Although they are hybrids of different genera, they are not sterile.
- Tri Color Jungle The corn snake is a hybrid that involves QuerÃÆ' Â © taro Kingsnake and the parents of a corn snake. The color is similar to the Amelanistic corn snake.
- Creamsicle corn snake is a hybrid that involves albino corn snakes and Emory Rat snakes ( Pantherophis emoryi ). The first generation hybrids are known as "rootbeers". This breeding back to each other can produce creamsicles, which are much more yellow-orange than regular amel corn.
- Turbo The corn snake is a hybrid between a corn snake and a species of Pituophis .
- Hybridized snake corn with milk snakes with various names, depending on the subspecies of the milk snake. For example, the Honduran Milk Snake ÃÆ' â € "The Corn Snake is called Corn, Sinaloan Milk Snake ÃÆ' â €" Snake corn is called Sinacorn, a Pueblan Milk Snake ÃÆ' â € "Snake Corn is called the puebla corn.
- Brook Korn is a hybrid between the snake king of Brook and the corn snake. Like forest corn, hybrids exhibit extreme pattern variations.
When corn snake hybrids are found in the wild they are usually hybridized with other Pantherophis species whose range overlaps with corn snakes.
References
External links
- Feeding Corn Snake Video
- Ians Vivarium Guide to Cornsnake Morphs
- Thecornsnake.co.uk
- herpFocus - videos of female spawn.
- Comprehensive comprehensive Comprehensive grooming care information
- American Cornsnake Registry
- Cornsnake Morph (R) Guide - genetic identification and guidance for collectors and breeders
- Maize snake care sheet
- Ians VivariumÃ, :: Guide to Morfs Cornsnake
- Genetic Corn snake calculator - Genetics predication and calculation
- Name of English and Amphibian English and Scientific Reptiles from North America Northern Mexico, With Commentary on Confidence In Our Understanding. Edition 6.1
- Stargazing Information Sheet
- "Pantherophis guttatus" . Retrieved 2012-01-12 .
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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