Captain's wood snake

Captain's wood snake

Captain's xylophis

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Xylophis captaini

Captain's wood snake (Xylophis captaini), Also known commonly as Captain's xylophis, is a species of snake in the family Pareidae. The species is endemic to India.

Animal name origin

The specific name, captaini, and the common names, Captain's wood snake and Captain's xylophis, are in honor of Indian herpetologist Ashok Captain for his work on Indian snakes.

Appearance

A small species of snake, X. captaini does not exceed 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length (including tail).

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Countries
Biogeographical realms

The holotype of X. captaini is from Kanam, Kottayam district, in the state of Kerala and was found in 2000. Captain's wood snake has been recorded at low altitudes on the western side of the southern part of the Western Ghats, south of the Palakkad Gap.

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The preferred natural habitat of X. captaini is forest at altitudes from sea level to 300 m (980 ft), but it has also been found in disturbed areas such as plantations.

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Habits and Lifestyle

X. captaini is nocturnal, and burrows in leaf litter, humus, and soil to a depth of 10 cm (3.9 in).

Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

X. captaini preys predominantly on earthworms.

Mating Habits

X. captaini is oviparous.

References

1. Captain's wood snake Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain's_wood_snake
2. Captain's wood snake on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/172601/1349779

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