Hoogstraal's cat snake, Sinai cat snake
Telescopus hoogstraali, common names of which include Hoogstraal's cat snake and the Sinai cat snake, is an endangered species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Middle East.
The specific name, hoogstraali, is in honor of American entomologist and parasitologist Harry Hoogstraal.
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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...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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starts withT. hoogstraali has a black-coloured neck and head. Its eyes are small with vertical, cat-like pupils. The snake's underbelly is grey and is covered with black spots.
T. hoogstraali is found around the Sinai region, in Egypt and Israel, as well as Jordan.
In Egypt, it is found in Santa Catarina and Gebel Maghara of northern Sinai Peninsula, while in Israel it can be found only in Negev Desert. It is also known from one city in Jordan, Petra.
T. hoogstraali can be found at an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in natural habitats such as subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, rocky areas, and hot deserts.
