Dasypeltis gansi

Dasypeltis gansi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Dasypeltis
Species:
D. gansi
Binomial name
Dasypeltis gansi
J. Trape & Mané, 2006

Dasypeltis gansi, commonly known as Gans's egg-eater or Gans' egg-eating snake, is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to West Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, gansi, is in honor of American herpetologist Carl Gans.[2]

Geographic range

D. gansi is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, the Republic of South Sudan, Senegal, Sudan, and Togo.[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of D. gansi is savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 600 m (2,000 ft).[1]

Description

Females of D. gansi may attain a total length (including tail) of about 102 cm (40 in). Males are smaller, and may attain a total length of about 70 cm (28 in). Dorsal coloration is almost uniformly beige.[3]

Behavior

D. gansi is terrestrial and partly arboreal.[1][3]

Diet

The diet of D. gansi consists entirely of birds' eggs.[1]

Reproduction

D. gansi is oviparous.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Segniagbeto, G.; Trape, J.-F. (2021). "Dasypeltis gansi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T13265104A13265109. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T13265104A13265109.en. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  2. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Dasypeltis gansi, p. 97).
  3. ^ a b c d Species Dasypeltis gansi at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

  • Bates MF, Trape J-F, Spawls S (2013). "Geographical distributions: Dasypeltis gansi Trape & Mané, 2006, Gans' Egg-eater". African Herp News (60): 30–32.
  • Göthel, Helmut (2015): "Die Pazifisten unter den Schlangen – Afrikanische Eierschlangen der Gattung Dasypeltis". Draco 16 (61): 6–21. (in German).
  • Trape J-F, Mané Y (2006). "Le genre Dasypeltis Wagler (Serpentes: Colubridae) en Afrique de l'Ouest: description de trois espèces et d'une sous-espèce nouvelles ". Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France 119: 27–56. (Dasypeltis gansi, new species). (in French).
  • Wallach V, Williams KL, Boundy J (2014). Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. xxviii + 1,209 pp. ISBN 978-1-4822-0847-4. (Dasypeltis gansi, p. 210).



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