Saint Croix racer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Croix racer |
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The Saint Croix racer (Borikenophis sanctaecrucis) is a possibly extinct species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the island of Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands.
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Etymology
The specific name, sanctaecrucis, refers to the island of Saint Croix, on which the holotype was collected.
Description
B. sanctaecrucis may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 102.5 cm (3.36 ft). It has smooth dorsal scales, which are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. The holotype has a total length of 50 in (130 cm), which includes a tail 17 in (43 cm) long. B. sanctaecrucis is oviparous.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of B. sanctaerucis is xeric forest.
Conservation
B. sanctaecrucis is feared extinct; it has not been recorded in over 100 years, since the holotype was collected; St. Croix is a densely-populated, and the species is a fairy large snake. If it is extinct, the most probable causes were due to predation from introduced mongooses and deforestation of its habitat. However, recent rediscoveries of other Caribbean reptiles that were also thought extinct brings hope that a small population (probably less than 50 individuals) of B. sanctaecrucis survives somewhere in St. Croix.
See also
In Spanish: Borikenophis sanctaecrucis para niños
