''Oxyrhopus guibei'' 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 ...

of snake in the

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

Colubridae. 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 else ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. It is often called the false coral snake, Braz H, Manço DD (2011)
"Natural nests of the false-coral snake ''Oxyrhopus guibei'' in southeastern Brazil".
''Herpetology Notes'' 4: 187-189. Tozetti AM et al. (2004)
"''Oxyrhopus guibei'' (False Coral Snake). Predation".
''Herpetological Review'' 35 (2): 179. but this common name can refer to any of a long list of other species, genera, and even entire

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

of snakes."Aniliidae".
Integrated Taxonomic Information System."''Erythrolamprus'' ".
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Many nonvenomous snakes have evolved coloration that

mimics Materialise Mimics is an image processing software for 3D design and modeling, developed by Materialise NV, a Belgian company specialized in additive manufacturing software and technology for medical, dental and additive manufacturing industries ...

that of venomous true

coral snake Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera (''Calliophis'', '' Hemibungar ...

s, a trait which helps them avoid predation. Brodie ED, Janzen FJ (1995)
"Experimental studies of Coral Snake mimicry: Generalized avoidance of ringed snake patterns by free-ranging avian predators".
'Functional Ecology'' 9: 186-190.

Etymology

The specific name, ''guibei'', is in honor of French

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

Jean Guibé.Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson. (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Guibé", p. 111.)

Geographic range

''O. guibei'' is native to central sections of South America, in parts of Bolivia,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

."''Oxyrhopus guibei'' ".
The Reptile Database.

Conservation status

The species ''O. guibei'' has been described as common to abundant.

Description

''O. guibei'' can reach Kraus JE (2005). ''Fauna and flora of the campus of the Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira''. EdUSP. 2005: 70. to in total length (including tail). Females can reach much larger sizes than males.

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 ''O. guibei'' 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' ...

, including

edges and open areas. The snake is sometimes seen near human activity and habitation, for example, on

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

s and in backyards.

Behavior

''O. guibei'' is mostly nocturnal, but is sometimes out basking during the day. Sazima I, Abe AS (1991)
"Habits of five Brazilian snakes with coral-snake pattern, including a summary of defensive tactics".
'Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment'' 26: 159-64. It spends most of its time on the ground, but it will climb trees at times.

Diet

The diet of ''O. guibei'' includes

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s, lizards, and other small animals. Rodent

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

items include rats (''Rattus'' sp.), the

hairy-tailed bolo mouse The hairy-tailed bolo mouse or hairy-tailed akodont (''Necromys lasiurus'') is a South American rodent species of the family Cricetidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Description The hairy-tailed bolo mouse grows to a ...

(''Necromys lasiurus''), the house mouse (''Mus musculus''), the

small vesper mouse The small vesper mouse (''Calomys laucha'') is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is one of the hosts of hantavirus, causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome Hantavirus pulmona ...

(''Calomys laucha''), the delicate vesper mouse (''Calomys tener''), and hocicudos (''

Oxymycterus ''Oxymycterus'' is a genus of rat-like rodents commonly known as hocicudos. They are endemic to South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively sma ...

'' sp.). Alencar LRV et al. (2009)
"''Oxyrhopus guibei'' (False Coralsnake). Diet".
'Herpetological Review'' 40 (3): 357-358. It will eat the lizard '' Tropidurus itambere'' and it has been observed taking white-tipped dove nestlings (''Leptotila'' sp.). Lizards it will swallow alive, but rodents it often constricts first. Oliveira Andrade R, Silvano RAM (1996)
"Feeding behavior and diet of the ''Oxyrhopus guibei'' Hoge & Romano (Serpentes, Colubridae)".
''Revista Brasileira de Zoologia'' 13 (1): 143-150.

Reproduction

The female ''O. guibei'' lays

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

year-round, but male and female reproductive activity slows around the end of the rainy season. Clutch sizes range from about 3 to 20, with an average size of about 11. Longer females lay more eggs. Eggs are laid in nest sites such as cavities in rock piles and abandoned rabbit burrows. The female abandons the eggs once they are laid.

Enemies

Predators of the species ''O. guibei'' include the

laughing falcon The laughing falcon (''Herpetotheres cachinnans''), also called the snake hawk (erroneously, since it is not a hawk), is a medium-sized bird of prey in the falcon family ( Falconidae), the only member of the genus ''Herpetotheres''. This Neotro ...

(''Herpetotheres cachinnans''), a bird which specializes in snakes, and '' Erythrolamprus aesculapii'', another species of false coral snake. It has also been observed in the diet of the

maned wolf The maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a w ...

(''Chrysocyon brachyurus''), which readily eats snakes, including venomous species.

Defensive behavior

''O. guibei'' performs defensive behaviors when threatened, such as "brusque" thrashing, staying still or rushing to escape, compressing or inflating its body, coiling, hiding its head, or producing a cloacal discharge.