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Telescopus fallax (Common Cat Snake / Kedi Gözlü Yılan)

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Telescopus fallax (Common Cat Snake / Kedi Gözlü Yılan)


Telescopus fallax (Common Cat Snake / Kedi Gözlü Yılan) from Spil, MANİSA - 08.10.2008.

Common Cat Snake is one of the member of the family Colubridae (Whip snakes) and a middle sized slender snake, reaching maximum total length of nearly 1 m. The head is flattened, clearly distinct from neck; the eyes are relatively large, with a vertical pupil and yellow iris. The ground colour is creme brown to grey, with a mid-dorsal series of oval brown spots (beginning with an irregular, sometimes triangular spot on the neck) of about the same size of the interspaces and alternating, somewhat paler blotches or transversal to oblique streaks on the flanks. The head is of a distinct colour than the body, mostly greyish with fine black spotting or vermiculation. The belly is creme with irregular black spotting.

Common Cat Snake is distributed in Coastal Balkan, Mediterranean islands, east to Caucasus and Iran, south to Israel. It prefers dry stony habitats, xeric woodland, stony walls, ruins. It is nocturnal, predominantly terrestrial but climbs well. A relatively quiet snake, but under stress ready to bite. The toxin is harmless for humans. The food consists mainly of lizards; occasionally snakes and small rodents are eaten as well.

The taxonomy of this extremely polytypic species with many described forms of uncertain status requires major revision. At present, following subspecies are listed: T. f. fallax (NE Italy, Malta, Balkan Peninsula, W & S Turkey to Amanos Mts ); T. f. iberus (E Europe of the Black Sea, N Anatolia, Caucasus and Iran); T f multisquamatus; T f pallidus; T. f. rhodicus (all from Greek islands); T. f. cyprianus (endemic to Cyprus island) and T. f. syriacus (from the Levant: SE Anatolia, Syria, N Iraq and Israel).

References: 1. Göçmen, B. (Unpub. results). The results of herpetological trips. 2. Budak, A. & Göçmen, B. (2005). Herpetology. Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 194, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir, 226 pp. [2nd Edition, 2008]. 3. Disi, A. M., Modry, D., Necas, P. & Rifai, L. (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Edition Chimaira, 408 pp. 4. Atatür, M. K & Göçmen, B. (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Cyprus (1st Edition), Ege Üniversitesi, Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 170, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir, 63 pp. 5. Göçmen, B., Nilson, G., Yildiz, M. Z., Arikan, H.,  Yalçinkaya, D. & Akman, B. (2007). On the occurrence of the Black Cat Snake, Telescopus nigriceps (Ahl, 1924) (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey with some taxonomical comments. North-Western Journal of Zoology, 3 (2): 81-95. 6. Arnold, N.E. (1978). A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe.Collins, London, UK, 288 pp.


Author Bayram GÖÇMEN
Created on Wednesday 08 October 2008
Posted on Sunday 06 February 2011
Tags Manisa, TURKEY / TÜRKİYE
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