Hemorrhois nummifer

The Coin-marked snake[1] (Hemorrhois nummifer or Coluber nummifer) is a species of snake belonging to the family Colubridae.[2]

Coin-marked snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Hemorrhois
Species:
H. nummifer
Binomial name
Hemorrhois nummifer
(Reuss, 1834)
Synonyms
  • Coluber nummifer Reuss, 1834

Geographic range

The coin-marked snake, or leaden-colored racer, is found in Armenia, the North Caucasus, Cyprus, northeast Egypt, Greece (in the Aegean islands including Kalymnos, Kos, and Lipsi), northeastern Iran, northern Iraq, northern and central Israel, Jordan, eastern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Description

This species can grow to a meter and a half in length and is harmless to humans. Bright brown spots on its back are likened to the shape of coins (hence the name). It is sometimes mistaken for vipers, but lacks the squat body plan and connected spots found in regional venomous species. This snake is a diurnal, actively foraging predator with a diet consisting mainly of rodents, lizards, birds and other snakes.

References
  1. "The Academy of the Hebrew Language". http://hebrew-terms.huji.ac.il/ (in Hebrew). Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 2000. External link in |website= (help)
  2. REUSS (1834). Zoologische miscellen. Reptilien, Ophidier. Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der beschreibenden Naturgeschichte (in German). 1. pp. 129–162.
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