The Terre-de-Haut racer (''Alsophis sanctonum'') is a species of snake found 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 ...

, on the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

. This species is endemic to

Terre-de-Bas Island Terre-de-Bas Island (officially in French: Terre-de-Bas des Saintes ''(literally: Lowland of les Saintes)'') is an island in the Îles des Saintes archipelago, in the Lesser Antilles. It belongs to the communes of France, commune (municipality) of ...

and

Terre-de-Haut Island Terre-de-Haut Island (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Tèdého; also formerly known as ''Petite Martinique'') is the easternmost island in the Îles des Saintes , part of the archipelago of Guadeloupe. Like name of neighboring Terre-de-Bas, nam ...

which make up the Îles des Saintes. Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut are very small islands with a total area of approximately 13 km². Because of its presence only on this small area, it is a highly protected species. It can reach nearly a meter in length. It feeds on lizards and small rodents. It rarely bites humans, but may release a foul-smelling (though harmless) cloacal secretion when disturbed.

Habitat

''Alsophis sanctonum'' occurs along mangrove edges, roadsides, gardens, wooded areas, preferentially in semi-deciduous forest with

Pimenta racemosa ''Pimenta racemosa'' is a species of plant in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae) that is native to the Caribbean region. Common names include West Indian bay tree, bay rum tree, and ciliment. It is used in cooking and an essential oil is distilled t ...

, Pisonia grandis,

Guapinol ''Hymenaea courbaril'', the courbaril or West Indian locust, is a tree common in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring, and decoration. Its hard fruit pods have edible dry pulp ...

, and

Bursera simaruba ''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean ...

. It is present in areas less frequented by humans.

Subspecies

*''A. sanctonum sanctonum'' Barbour, 1915 or Terre-de-Haut racer. *''A. sanctonum danforthi''

Cochran ''For the history of the surname, see Cochrane.'' Cochran is a surname of Scottish (and most likely of Cumbric) origin. The earliest known appearance is in Dumbartonshire (14th cent). The definition is unclear, however the name may be derived from ...

, 1938 or Terre-de-Bas racer.

References

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External links

Alsophis Reptiles of the Caribbean Reptiles of Îles des Saintes Reptiles described in 1915 Taxa named by Thomas Barbour {{Dipsadinae-stub