Garter Snake 36-V
SAUROPSIDA
Serpentes
 
 
Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). Garter snakes are some of the more common and widespread snakes in North America.



Chapter Outline
  1. Description of Sauropsida
  2. Classification of Sauropsida
  3. Sphenodontia
  4. Squamata
  5. Serpentes
  6. Testudines
  7. Crocodylia
  8. Paleo Sauropsida

Tree
NCBI Tree | Paleo Tree



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The infraorder Serpentes contains the snakes. It is split into four superfamilies:

  • Acrochordoidea
  • Colubroidea
  • Henophidia
  • Typhlopoidea
On the previous page, we saw various groups of legless, or nearly legless, lizards: the families Anguidae, Dibamidae, Anniellidae and the parvorder Amphisbaenia. These lizards, though superficially similar to snakes, are not snakes. Depending on the group of lizards, differences can be that they have eyelids, ear openings, inflexible jaws, different skin, or a tail that can be dropped and regenerated. There can be other, more subtle differences too. Snakes do not have eyelids or ear openings, they can unlock their jaws to eat larger prey than they could otherwise, and they are covered in scales. And if a snake's tail comes off, it's not growing back, even if the snake lives.

Resources:

ACROCHORDOIDEAArafura File Snake (Acrochordus arafurae)
[© Matt Clancy]		Acrochordus arafurae

One of the most unique things about this group of snakes is the texture of their skin. Instead of the "normal" scales found on most snakes, the scales on these snakes stick up into points, which gives them the feel of a coarse file. Click on the image in the heading of this section to see the detail of the skin.

  • FAMILY ACROCHORDIDAE - FILE SNAKES
    • File Snakes - EOL
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COLUBROIDEA

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus)Crotalus molossus

TEXT

  • FAMILY COLUBRIDAE
    • SUBFAMILY CALAMARIINAE
    • SUBFAMILY COLUBRINAE
      • Shovelnose Snakes (Chionactis spp.) - EOL
      • Racers (Coluber spp.) - EOL
      • Boomslang (Dispholidus typus) - EOL- SCZ
      • Mandarin Trinket Snake (Elaphe mandarina) - EOL- SCZ
      • Grey-Banded King Snake (Lampropeltis alterna) - EOL- SCZ
      • Common King Snake (Lampropeltis getula) - EOL- SCZ
      • Honduran Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis) - EOL- SCZ
      • Corn Snakes, Rat Snakes (Pantherophis spp.) - EOL
      • Leafnose Snakes (Phyllorhynchus spp.) - EOL
      • Louisiana Pine Snake (Pituophis ruthveni) - EOL- SCZ
      • Bull Snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) - EOL
      • Asian Tiger Keelback (Rhabdophis tigrinus) - EOL- SCZ
    • SUBFAMILY HOMALOPSINAE
      • Tentacled Snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) - EOL- SCZ
    • SUBFAMILY NATRACINAE
      • Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) - NOAHEOL- Adirondacks
      • Red-Sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) - EOL- SCZ
      • Garter Snakes (Thamnophis spp.) - EOL- Nearly all of temperate and tropical North America
      • Water Snakes (Nerodia spp.) - EOL- SCZ
    • SUBFAMILY PAREATINAE
    • SUBFAMILY PSEUDOXENODONTINAE
    • SUBFAMILY SIBYNOPHIINAE
    • SUBFAMILY XENODERMATINAE
    • SUBFAMILY XENODONTINAE
  • FAMILY DIPSADIDAE
    • Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus) - EOL- SCZ
  • FAMILY ELAPIDAE
    • Western Coral Snake (Micruroides euryxanthus) - EOL- Sonoran Desert
    • Eastern Coral Snakes (Micrurus fulvius) - EOL- Everglades
    • King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) - EOL- SE Asia, SCZ
    • East African Green Mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps) - EOL- SCZ
    • Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) - EOL- SCZ
  • FAMILY HYDROPHIIDAE
    • Sea Snakes - EOL
  • FAMILY LAMPROPHIIDAE
    • SUBFAMILY ATRACTASPIDINAE
      • Burrowing Asps - EOL
    • SUBFAMILY BOODONTINAE
      • False Smooth Snake (Macroprotodon cucullatus) - EOLIUCN Map - (Northern Africa)
    • SUBFAMILY LAMPROPHIINAE
    • SUBFAMILY PSAMMOPHIINAE
      • Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) - EOLIUCN Map - (Western Mediterraenean)
    • SUBFAMILY PSEUDASPIDINAE
    • SUBFAMILY PSEUDOXYRHOPHIINAE
      • Twig Mimic Snake (Langaha madagascariensis) - EOL- SCZ
  • FAMILY VIPERIDAE
    • Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) - EOL- SCZ
    • Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) - EOL- Everglades, SCZ
    • Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica) - EOL- SCZ
    • Eyelash Palm Pit Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) - EOL- SCZ
    • Fer-de-Lance (Bothrops atrox) -NOAHEOL- Peru
    • Venezuela Lancehead (Bothrops venezuelensis) - EOL- SCZ
    • Rattlesnakes (Croatalus spp.) - EOL- Sonoran Desert, SCZ
    • Eastern Diamondback (Crotalus adamanteus) - EOL- Everglades
    • Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - EOL- Omaha Zoo
    • Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - EOL- SCZ
    • Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius) - EOL- Everglades
    • Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) - EOL- SCZ
    • Wagler's Palm Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) - EOL- SCZ
    • Armenian Viper (Vipera raddei) - EOL- SCZ
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HENOPHIDIA

Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis)Green Tree Python

TEXT

  • FAMILY ANILIIDAE
    • False Coral Snake (Anilius scytale) - EOL
  • FAMILY ANOMOCHILIDAE
    • Dwarf Pipe Snakes - EOL
  • FAMILY BOIDAE
    • Sand Boas (Gongylophis spp.) - EOL- SCZ
    • Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) - EOL- Omaha Zoo, San Diego Zoo, El Paso Zoo
    • Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) - EOL- SCZ
    • Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) - EOL- SCZ
    • Rosy Boas (Lichanura trivirgata) - EOL- Sonoran Desert
    • Papuan Olive Python (Apodora papuana) - EOL- SCZ
    • Puerto Rican Boa (Epicrates inornatus) - EOL- SCZ
    • Kenya Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus) - EOL- SCZ
    • Madagascar Tree Boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis) - EOL- SCZ
  • FAMILY BOLYERIIDAE
    • Keel Scaled Boa (Casarea dussumieri) - EOL - St. Louis Zoo, Mauritius
  • FAMILY CYLINDROPHIIDAE
    • Pipe Snake (Cylindrophis) - EOL- Oklahoma City Zoo
  • FAMILY LOXOCEMIDAE
    • Mexican Burrowing Python (Loxocemus bicolor) - EOL- SCZ
  • FAMILY PYTHONIDAE
    • Carpet/Diamond Python (Morelia spilota) - EOL- SCZ
    • Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) - EOL- SCZ
    • Pythons (Python spp.) - EOL- Omaha Zoo, SCZ, San Diego Zoo
    • Burmese Python (Python molurus) - EOL- Omaha Zoo
    • Royal/Ball Python (Python regius) - EOL- SCZ
    • Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) - EOL-
    • Lesser Sundas Python or Timor Python (Python timoriensis) - EOL- SCZ
  • FAMILY TROPIDOPHIIDAE
    • Dwarf Boas (Tropidophis) - EOL- San Antonio Zoo
  • FAMILY UROPELTIDAE
    • Short-Tail Snakes - EOL
  • FAMILY XENOPELTIDAE
    • Sunbeam Snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) - EOL- Albuquerque Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo
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TYPHLOPOIDEA

Plains Blind Snake (Rena dulcis)
[© Diana-Terry Hibbitts]		Rena dulcis

TEXT

  • FAMILY ANOMALEPIDIDAE
    • Blind Snakes - EOL
  • FAMILY LEPTOTYPHLOPIDAE
    • Plains Blind Snake (Rena dulcis) - EOL
    • Slender Blind Snakes (Leptotyphlops spp.) - EOL- Sonoran Desert
  • FAMILY TYPHLOPIDAE
    • Blind Snakes - EOL
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