kids encyclopedia robot

Mexican bullsnake facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mexican bullsnake
Pituophis deppei1 (cropped).jpg
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Pituophis
Species:
deppei
Synonyms
  • Elaphis deppei
    A.M.C. Duméril, 1853
  • Arizona deppei
    Cope, 1861
  • Arizona jani
    Cope, 1861
  • Pituophis deppei
    — Jan & Sordelli, 1867
  • Spilotes deppei
    — Cope, 1887
  • Coluber deppii
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Pityophis deppei
    — Dugès, 1898
  • Pituophis deppei
    — H.M. Smith, 1944

Pituophis deppei, commonly known as the Mexican bullsnake and the Mexican pine snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, deppei, is in honor of German artist Ferdinand Deppe, who collected natural history specimens in Mexico.

The subspecific name, jani, is in honor of Italian herpetologist Giorgio Jan.

Geographic range

P. deppei occurs in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Tamaulipas.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of P. deppei are forest, shrubland, and grassland, but it is also found in agricultural, suburban, and urban areas.

Description

Dorsally, P. deppei is yellowish tan, with a series of large quadrangular blotches, which are dark brown to black. It has smaller dark spots on the sides. Ventrally, it is yellowish, with squarish brown spots. Adults may attain a total length of 1.69 m (5.5 ft), including a tail length of 18 cm (7.1 in).

Reproduction

P. deppei is oviparous.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

  • Pituophis deppei deppei (A.M.C. Duméril, 1853) – southern Mexican pine snake
  • Pituophis deppei jani (Cope, 1861) – northern Mexican pine snake

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pituophis.

kids search engine
Mexican bullsnake Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.