Dryophiops philippina
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''Dryophiops philippina'', also known as the keel-bellied whipsnake or Philippine whipsnake, 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 rear-fanged
colubrid 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 ...
snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
that is endemic to the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. One similar species, '' Dryophiops rubescens'' exists in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
.


Description

Its body is about 3 to 6 feet long. Coloration is dark brown or black, sometimes gray above as in the '' Dryophiops rubescens'' and often with a light green or pale blue flecks. The tongue is bright red. Cream or white colored lateral stripes on each side are bisected by dark blackish lines, which are nearly continuous along the dorsolateral stripe. It has a broad head, large eyes in proportion to the head, and a slender neck. The dorsal scales are smooth, not keeled. The belly scutes have 15 scale rows at the midsection and have faint dark lines that give the impression that it is keeled. The chin is white but can sometimes be yellow. Its neck down to mid-body is yellow and the rest of the body is brown. There is one small scale on the face called the preocular scale, located in front of the eye and wedged between two other scales, called the upper labials. The scales on the top of the head are large, a feature that distinguishes this snake from '' Dryophiops rubescens''. The two species are almost identical except that ''D.philippina'' does not have a keeled belly. If alarmed, they quickly move in a sidewinding manner on the ground. The only snake besides the Dog-faced water snake, ''
Cerberus rynchops ''Cerberus rynchops'', also known as the New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, bockadam snake, or dog-faced water snake, is a mildly venomous species of a snake in the family Homalopsidae. It is native to coastal waters of South and South ...
'' and the sidewinder rattlesnake to do so.


Distribution and habitat

''Dryophiops philippina'' is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in the islands of
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
(including
Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...
),
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...
,
Sibuyan Sibuyan is a crescent-shaped island, the second largest in an archipelago comprising Romblon Province, Philippines. Located in the namesake Sibuyan Sea, it has an area of and has a total population of 62,815 as of 2020 census. The island has t ...
,
Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...
and eastern
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
(Diuata Range). On Panay it has been recorded within primary and secondary lowland tropical moist forests, and in areas nearby. This species might need forest cover for refuge.


Behavior

It is docile but a very nervous snake. If the area where its residing is disturbed, it may spring up to flee, or remain very still. It can remain motionless for extended periods of time but usually it is always on the move.Endemic Snakes of the Philippines
philippinestamps.net (2017-08-16)
An irate individual may sometimes show aggression by expanding its neck and showing the light colorations underneath, to make itself appear much bigger than it really is, but they will rarely bite. Although it is an arboreal snake, it prefers to roam open grounds and can often be seen on the forest floor, among leaf litter. A cathemeral species, it is active at both day and night.


Diet and feeding habits

The keel-bellied whipsnake is a very specialized hunter, actively pursuing its prey that consists primarily of geckos and other lizards. Other prey may also be taken, given the opportunity. Small frogs, fishes and slugs may sometimes be consumed.


Reproduction and lifespan

Like its closest relative, the Oriental whipsnake (''
Ahaetulla prasina ''Ahaetulla prasina'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae to southern Asia. Its common names include Asian vine snake, Boie's whip snake, Gunther's whip snake, Oriental whip snake, (Thai: งูเขียวหัวจิ้งจภ...
''), ''D. philippina'' is also known to be a parthenogenic species. Parthenogenesis is rare among snakes but is known to exist. Majority of wild-caught specimens are females but males also occur. Mating usually begins around November up until January, where it lays 2 to 6 eggs in a single clutch, usually deposited between tree trunks and exposed tree barks. Sperm storage is also reported among this species, meaning it can lay eggs with only one mating. Females are distinguished by their thicker bodies that ends in a short and much thinner tail; whereas males are thinner and have longer tails. Females are lighter in coloration while males tend to be darker and has a chestnut-brown tint on its head. Captive specimens usually live around 8 years, while it lives up to 12 years in the wild.


Venom

Like most rear-fanged snakes, the keel-bellied whipsnake is mildly venomous. Although its venom is said to be slightly stronger than most mildly venomous snakes, its small mouth and very small size is very unlikely to cause a healthy adult any problems. No fatalities have been reported.


Conservation status

The IUCN lists this species as Data deficient. Continuous destruction of primary and secondary forests, conversion of fertile lands to agricultural and residential areas, as well as indiscriminate human killings can threaten the survival of this animal.


References

* * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q169391 Colubrids Reptiles described in 1914 Reptiles of the Philippines