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The rim rock crowned snake (''Tantilla oolitica''), named after the Miami Rim Rock land arrangement, is a non-venomous
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
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 belonging to 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 ...
Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...
. The rim rock crowned snake 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
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
throughout southern
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. The specific name, ''oolitica'', refers to the
oolitic limestone Oolite or oölite (''egg stone'') is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg (ᾠόν). Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 ...
area of Florida in which the species is found. All species of snakes that belong to the
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Tantilla'', are relatively small and usually do not exceed 20 cm (8 in). The species ''T. oolitica'' was added to the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
in 2007 as a result of loss in habitat and restricted range.


Geographic range

''T. oolitica'' is found in Dade County and
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...
of Florida and the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
, including Eastern Rock Rim of
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.


Description

The rim rock crowned snake is a relatively small species. The maximum recorded total length (including tail) is 29 cm (11.5 in). Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie Jr. (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback). (''Tantilla oolitica'', pp. 170–171). The top of the head is black. The body is tan to beige
dorsally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
, and white ventrally.


Diet

''T. oolitica''
preys 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 th ...
upon spiders, centipedes, worms, insects and their larvae, and even scorpions. At least 1 mortality from consuming centipedes has been reported.


Reproduction

''T. oolitica'' is
oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
.
Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
size is small, only one to three eggs ( Behler &
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, 1979).


Habitat

The rim rock crowned snake tends to inhabit areas with
rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
and
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
y
soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...
s in pine
flatwood Flatwood is a soil series with impaired drainage that occurs in the southeastern United States. Flatwood soils are upland soils formed from marine sediments. A shallow water table plays a role in soil formation; typically the water table is only a ...
s, and tropical
hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...
hammocks. The snake can less commonly be found inside crevices of limestone, under foliage, and in suburban areas.


Conservation status

In 2007 the species ''T. oolitica'' was added to the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
, as a result of loss in habitat and restricted range. Due to Miami's ever growing city, fragmentation is the main threat to the rim rock crowned snake. Roughly 2% of the historical pine rocklands located on the Miami rock ridge still exist. Also the hardwood hammocks in Dade county and the remainder of Florida have been diminished to about half of what they once were. Populations near the Keys also face major issues concerning habitat flooding from severe storms. Today the species is under th
Florida endangered and threatened species rule.
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/imperiled/profiles/reptiles/rim-rock-crowned-snake/]


References


Further reading

* John L. Behler, Behler, J.L.; King, F.W. (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (''Tantilla oolitica'', p. 659). * Powell, R.; Conant, R.; Collins, J.T. (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. . (''Tantilla oolitica'', p. 399 + Figure 184 on p. 397). * Telford, S.R. Jr. (1966). "Variation among the southeastern crowned snakes, genus ''Tantilla'' ". ''Bulletin of the Florida State Museum'' 10 (7): 261–304. ("''Tantilla oolitica'' new species", pp. 281–282.) * Wilson, L.D.; Mata-Silva V. (2015). "A checklist and key to the snakes of the ''Tantilla'' clade (Squamata: Colubridae), with comments on taxonomy, distribution, and conservation". ''Mesoamerican Herpetology'' 2 (4): 418–498. (''Tantilla oolitica'', pp. 447–448). (in English, with an abstract in Spanish). {{Taxonbar, from=Q2382456 Colubrids Reptiles described in 1966 Endemic fauna of Florida Reptiles of the United States Snakes of North America