Madagascarophis lolo
Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
SPECIES
Madagascarophis lolo

Madagascarophis lolo is a species of snakes known for being endemic to the African area of Madagascar. The creature is colloquially referred to as the ghost snake due to its strikingly pale body shade. It was initially found inside of a lime rock formation in 2016.

Animal name origin

Madagascarophis lolo gets its specific name lolo from the Malagasy word for "ghost". There are two reasons for this name, namely, the pale gray color of the ghost snake, and the elusiveness of the species relative to other species in an area of Ankarana that is relatively well explored.

Appearance

Madagascarophis lolo can be identified from other species in its genus by its gray, overall body color with black vertebral stripe and dorsal, alternating lighter gray splotches. It has 25 midbody scale rows, 189 ventral scales and 56 divided subcaudal scales. With the exception of M. fuchsi, it differs from all other Madagascarophis species by having extended contact of posterior infralabial scales. M. lolo can be distinguished from M. fuchsi by its slightly lower number of infralabial scales, with M. lolo having around 10 infralabial scales to the approximately 12–13 infralabial scales of M. fuchsi.

Distribution

Geography

Their habitat is variable, as they are terrestrial and semi-arboreal, but mainly are found on karst rock formations. Researchers propose that the rarity of M. lolo sightings could be due to their rough terrain habitat, as the karst rock formations are difficult to navigate, especially in the night, when M. lolo would be active.

Show More

Madagascarophis lolo is probably endemic to karst areas of Analamerana and Ankarana of Madagascar.

Show Less

Habits and Lifestyle

Alike other species of Madagascarophis, M. lolo is nocturnal.

References

1. Madagascarophis lolo Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascarophis_lolo

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About