The following articles deal with snake pictures, so please read them with caution to avoid discomfort
We all know that the most obvious feature of cobras is that the part behind the head and neck is swollen and flattened, and the opening is umbrella-like, which is a form of their vigilance and defense. In fact, among the snakes distributed in China, some snakes will also have such skills, such as the tabby neck groove snake, although it is not so obvious. To say that the most similar is the oblique scale snake.
The genus Serpentinosa is a genus of non-venomous snakes under the family Serpentaceae. This type of snake is mainly distributed in Asia, there are 8 known species, but there are 6 species that are considered effective, of which 4 species are distributed in China. Different species vary greatly in body color, but even so, they have some common features, such as having a pronounced dorsal ridge and a diagonal row of scales at the front of the body.
If you don't look closely, it's really a bit of a cobra's might
Although the oblique scaled snake is a non-venomous snake and is not very large, it has some special survival skills. The habitat environment in the wild is harsh, as a small swimming snake, it is extremely difficult to survive, and different snakes have more or less self-defense skills. And the self-defense skills of the oblique scale snake are indeed a little special.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > mimicking a cobra</h1>
When they encounter danger or are disturbed, the oblique scale snake will stand up in the front half of the body, flatten the neck, spit out letters, make some hissing sounds, do not look closely at the color of the snake's body, coupled with the obvious black markings on the neck, the average person still thinks that it has encountered a cobra, so it is frightened to escape. This is also one of the characteristics of the oblique scaled snake, they can imitate the cobra and scare off the enemy. It's just that the amplitude of its opening is not so large compared to the cobra.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > use stink glands to ward off enemies</h1>
When the imitation of the action can not deter the threat, the stink glands on the body of the oblique scale snake province secrete a foul odor, using the "poisonous gas" defense, the average predator is difficult to endure this strange smell and give up preying on them. This defensive gland is found in many swimming snakes, such as the famous King Snake.
Others have reported that these snakes also have the ability to pretend to die, they will turn their bodies over, "painfully" twist their bodies, and open their mouths slightly, as if they are about to "die". This is a survival skill that requires more performing arts skills.
In the climbing pet market, this type of snake has a bright body color, as well as high imitation characteristics, a more docile personality, is a more popular breeding snake. There are 4 species of oblique snakes in China, and there are some subspecies differentiation between different species, and the classification is extremely complex.
The oblique-scaled snake Pseudodoxenodon macrops
Also known as the Chinese oblique scaled snake, the big-eyed oblique scaled snake, the stink snake and other common names, it was first named in 1855, and the pattern origin is located in the eastern Indian state of Assam. Its habitat is located in the mountainous area of the plateau at an altitude of 700-2700 meters. The country is distributed in various provinces south of the Yangtze River, and is found in East and Southeast Asia.
The eyes of this species are slightly larger, and there are currently three subspecies, in addition to the nominate subspecies, there are also the Fujian subspecies of the oblique-scaled snake and the Chinese subspecies of the oblique-scaled snake.
The rhabdomosaurus pseudoxenodon bambusicola
The back is yellowish-brown or purple-gray, and there is a V-shaped black-brown marking on the back of the head. Originally named in 1922, the type origin is in the northern mountains of Guangdong Province, China. It is found in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and Guizhou; it is found in Vietnam and Laos.
Flower-tailed oblique scaled snake Pseudoxenodon stejnegeri
The most obvious feature is a gray longitudinal band with black edges in the center of the dorsal tail, which varies in length and length, extending to the tail. The back of the body is dark brown with several nearly diamond-shaped yellowish-brown markings. It was first named in 1908 and is found in Alishan, central Taiwan.
Taiwanese subspecies
There are two subspecies of this snake, in addition to the nominate subspecies, the flower-tailed oblique scaled snake continental subspecies is distributed in the provinces south of the Yangtze River.
Continental subspecies
Chong'an obliquely scaled snake Pseudoxenodon karlschmidti
It was first named in 1928, and the type origin is in Fujian Province, China. The back of the body is black and gray, the back of the head is unmarked, the top of the head is reddish brown, and the leading edge of the black arrow-shaped markings on the back of the neck is inlaid with a clear white line.
There are three subspecies of this species, in addition to the nominate subspecies, there is also the Subspecies of Chong'an Oblique Scaled Snake Luoxiang, distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou; the South Asian species of Chong'an Oblique Scaled Snake, distributed in Hainan Island. This snake is an endemic snake in China and has not been distributed abroad.
The morphology of such snakes is very different, the specific species are not easy to distinguish, there is little research data on them, and there are no relevant reports on the taxonomic relationship lineage between subspecies. It can be said that it is a very mysterious snake.
Also appreciate some of the snakes of the genus Oblique Scaled Snake distributed abroad:
Pseudoxenodon baramensis is found in Malaysia
Javanese pseudo cobra Pseudoxenodon inornatus Is endemic to Sumatra, Indonesia.