Musk Turtle

Musk and Mud Turtles

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Family: Kinosternidae Subfamily: Kinosterninae Genus: Sternotherus The usual musk turtles are tiny in size, 5 to 12 cm (2 to 5 in) in length. They have black or brown colored shells, either blotched or streaky, and normally gather algae. In their heads, there…

Yellow Rat Snake

Yellow Rat Snake

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Family:        Colubridae Genus:        Various The yellow rat snake originated in the United States of America. It is decades since this snake entered the pet trade. The Yellow Rat Snake grows to a length of 1.5 – 1.8 meters, which…

Snake Eating

What Eats Snakes: Ophiophagy

Ophiophagy is the term used to describe a specialized feeding (alimentary) behavior  of birds and animals which are in the habit of hunting and eating the snakes. There are quite a number of animals that are ophiophagus.  They include Skunks, Mongooses and humans (only some) among the mammals. The ophiophagus  birds are Snake eagles, some…

Worm Snake

Worm Snake

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Colubridae Subfamily:        Xenodontinae Genus:        Carphophis Several snakes are called by the common name, worm snakes belonging to the genus Carphophis. The Snake Carphophis Amoenus is also the Worm Snake. The common characteristics are small…

Viper Snake

Viper Snake

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Viperidae The viper snake has hinged, long, and hollow fangs (Solenoglyphous) that can inject lethal toxins and that is the reason why it is considered one of the most venomous snakes found in the world. Vipers…

Water Moccasin Snake

Water Moccasin Snake

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Viperidae Subfamily:        Crotalinae Genus:        Agkistrodon Species:        A. piscivorus Binomial name:        Agkistrodon piscivorus The Water Moccasin Snake is the sole poisonous water snake on the continent of North America. A water Moccasin snake…

McMahon’s Viper

Types of Snakes: Viperidae (Vipers)

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Viperidae Viperidae is another prominent family of poisonous snakes.  You can identify the snakes in the ‘Viper Family’ by their hinged, long, hollow fangs.  Quite distinct from the Elapids, with their fixed fangs, Vipers, have fangs…

Vine Snake

Vine Snake

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:      Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Colubridae Subfamily:        Colubrinae Genus:        Ahaetulla Species:        A. nasuta Binomial name:        Ahaetulla nasuta The Green Vine Snake is biologically termed Ahaetulla in the Sinhala language,  or Ahaetulla Nasuta. This tree snake is a…

Burmese Python

Types of Snakes: Pythonidae

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Infraorder:        Alethinophidia Family:        Pythonidae The term Pythonidae is derived from the Greek Language.  In Greek, the word is python. Pythons are non-venomous snakes that we can find in Africa. Australia and Asia.  Among the members of the…

Banded Sea Krait

Types of Snakes: Hydrophiidae

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Elapidae Subfamily:        Hydrophiinae Some taxonomists opine that Hydrophiidae could be a sub-family of the main family Elapidae, which consist of some of the most venomous snakes in the world. This family consists mainly of sea…

Mexican Burrowing Python

Other Snake Families Not Already Described

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Sauropsida Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes The Suborder Serpentes Includes Two Infraorder Of Snakes The first Infraorder is Alethinophidia that includes  15 families and then you have the  Scolecophidia,  that comprises of 3 families Families under Alethinophidia Infraorder The Acrochordidae The Aniliidae The Anomochilidae…

Corn Snake

Types of Snakes: Colubridae

Scientific Classification Kingdom:   Animalia Phylum:     Chordata Subphylum:     Vertebrata Class:       Reptilia Order:        Squamata Suborder:        Serpentes Family:        Colubridae The name Colubridae refers to a family of snakes having 304 genera and 1938 species. Coluber, in Latin, means snakes. This is the largest family of snakes, accounting for about two-thirds of all snake species extant. We…