The Striped Whipsnake is a species of nonvenomous colubrid

Colubrid

A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...

 snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

 that is closely related to the California Whipsnake

California Whipsnake

The Alameda Whipsnake , aka Striped Racer, is a colubrid snake of the California coast and foothills. It is 90–120 cm long, slender, with two yellowish stripes along its back, set against a dark brown or black back. It is fast-moving, diurnal, and an active forager...

 (Masticophis lateralis). It is native to the western United States

Western United States

.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...

 and northern Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

Identification

The Striped Whipsnake is approximately 30-72 inches (76–183 cm) in length. This snake exhibits black, dark brown, or gray coloration on its back. Across each of the first four dorsal scales rows, it often has an olive or bluish tint. There is a white to cream-colored stripe down its side that is bisected by either a solid or dashed black line. The coloring on the snake's belly tends to be cream to yellowish, fading to white toward the head, and coral pink toward the tail. This snake also features a lower preocular between the upper labial scales of the mouth, and the anal scale is divided.

Distribution

The Striped Whipsnake is found all throughout the western United States and northern Mexico. The farthest north part of their range is in south central Washington and moves south into the great basin between the Cascade-Sierran crest and the continental divide. The range then continues southeast across the continental divide into New Mexico and western and central Texas. The farthest south part of the range lies in Michoacan, Mexico. In the Western United states the range also extends outside of the great basin into the Rogue River Valley in South Western Oregon and Northern California.

Habitat

The Striped Whipsnake is commonly found in a wide variety of habitats including shrub lands, grasslands, sagebrush flats, canyons, piñon-juniper woodlands, and open pine-oak forests. They are attracted to both permanent and seasonal rocky streams, and they frequent both flatlands and mountains.

Behavior

This species is diurnal, active during the day, and is very alert and fast moving. They seek shelter in rock outcrops, small mammal burrows, as well as in trees and shrubs depending on the habitat they occupy. These snakes are nonvenomous but they prey on a wide variety of species including lizards, other snakes (including rattlesnakes), small mammals, young birds, frogs and insects.

Reproduction

Little is known about the reproductive activities of this species. After fertilization the Striped Whipsnake will lay a clutch of 3-12 eggs, between the months of June and July, usually in an abandoned rodent burrow. One study has shown a natural incubation period of 44 to 58 days.