The Striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus) is a nonvenomous snake from North America. It is closely related to the California whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis).
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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Non-venomousSo
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Striped whipsnake is black, dark brown, or gray on its back, often with an olive or bluish tint. Along the center of each of the first four rows of pale dorsal scales, is a dark longitudinal stripe. There is a white to cream-colored stripe down its side that is bisected by either a solid or dashed black line. The coloring on the belly tends to be cream to yellowish, fading to white toward the head, and coral pink toward the tail. This snake also features a lower preocular between the upper labial scales of the mouth.
Striped whipsnakes are found throughout the western United States and northern Mexico. The northernmost part of their geographic range is in south-central Washington and continues southward into the Great Basin between the Cascade-Sierran crest and the continental divide. The southernmost part of their range lies in Michoacán, Mexico. In the Western United States, their range also extends outside of the Great Basin into the Rogue River Valley in southwestern Oregon and northern California. There is a population in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah and Maryland. Striped whipsnakes live in a wide variety of habitats including shrublands, grasslands, sagebrush flats, canyons, piñon-juniper woodlands, and open pine-oak forests. They favor permanent and seasonal rocky streams, and frequent both flatlands and mountains.
Striped whipsnakes are solitary and diurnal. They are very fast-moving and seek shelter in rock outcrops, small mammal burrows, as well as in trees and shrubs depending on the habitat they occupy. When threatened Striped whipsnakes prefer to escape the danger but if cornered they won't hesitate to defend themselves and will strike at the intruder.
Striped whipsnakes are carnivores. They prey on a wide variety of species including lizards, other snakes (including venomous rattlesnakes), small mammals, young birds, frogs, and insects.
Striped whipsnakes are oviparous. Females lay a clutch of 3-12 eggs, between the months of June and July, usually in an abandoned rodent burrow. The incubation period lasts about 44 to 58 days.
There are no major threats to this species at present. Locally these snakes suffer from mortality on roads and from the destruction of their native habitat.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Striped whipsnake total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are stable.
