''Corallus cookii'', also known as Cook's tree boa or Cooke's tree boa, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

nonvenomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

snake in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Boidae The Boidae, commonly known as boas or boids, are a family of nonvenomous snakes primarily found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. Boas include some of the world's largest snakes, with the green anaconda ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the island of

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. There are no recognized

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Etymology

The specific name, ''cookii'', is in honor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

and naturalist

Edward William Cooke Edward William Cooke (27 March 1811 – 4 January 1880) was an English landscape and marine painter, and gardener. Life and work Cooke was born in Pentonville, London, the son of well-known line engraver George Cooke; his uncle, William B ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Corallus cookii'', p. 58).

Description

''C. cookii'' is similar to '' C. hortulana'' and '' C. grenadensis'', only smaller, with adults reaching a total length (including tail) of 5 feet (152 cm), and being mainly gray or brown in color. Not more than a few specimens exist in captivity. Stafford PJ, Henderson RW (1996). ''Kaleidoscopic Tree Boas: The Genus ''Corallus'' of Tropical America''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 120 pp. . The taxonomy of the '' Corallus hortulanaus'' complex has undergone a number of revisions. The main morphological differences between ''C. cookii'' and ''C. hortulana'' are coloration and scale count. "Corallus cooki is most easily distinguished from other members of the ''C. hortulanus'' complex by its color pattern. It lacks the color variation (pale yellow, orange, red, many shades of brown) found in ''C. hortulanus'' and ''C. grenadensi''s. Likewise, the main element of the dorsal pattern is relatively constant, and it rarely occurs in populations outside of St. Vincent. The diamond-shape pattern characteristic of ''C. ruschenbergerii'' does not occur in this species. ''Corallus cooki'' is distinguishable from ''C. hortulanus'' by maximum number of dorsal scale rows: invariably less than 50 in ''C. cooki'' (39–48; x = 43.9 +/- 0.34) and almost always more than 50 in C. hortulanus (47– 63; x = 55.0 +/- 0.17; specimens with less than 50 occur occasionally in Guyana, Suriname, Bolivia, and Peru)."

Reproduction

''C. cookii'' is oviviparous. www.reptile-database.org.

Geographic range

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the island of

in the

, ''C. cookii'' is known only from a few locations on the island. The type locality given is "West Indies", which was restricted to "St. Vincent" by Henderson (1997).

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of ''C. cooki'' is

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, but it is also abundant in urban areas. It is found from sea level to an altitude of .

Etymology

Description

Reproduction

Geographic range

Habitat

References

Further reading