Snake Families

Question 1

12 genera, 117 sp

Southwestern US to S America, Africa, Middle East, Pakistan, India

Pelvic vestiges evident as dark specks near cloaca, eyes vestigial and covered by scales, small gapes, blunt head and tails, some have tail spines, lack enlarged ventral scales

Answer 1

Leptotyphlopidae

Question 2

2 genera, 34 sp

West Indies, NW South America, Atlantic Forest

Boid-like, long prehensile tail, single nasal scale, vestiges of pelvic girdle present in most

Answer 2

Tropidophiidae

Question 3

14 genera, 58 sp

Central America, South America, West Indies, Madagascar, Meanesia, Fiji

No teeth on premaxilla, subcaudal scales not paired, sensory pits on lips

Answer 3

Boidae

Question 4

4 genera, 7 sp

Western NA, Central, and South America

Smooth rubbery scales, blunt head (nose flat) and tail, lack infrared-sensitive pits

Answer 4

Charinidae

Question 5

2 genera, 11 sp

Sri Lanka, SE Asia, S China

Burrowers, checkered white and black bellies

Answer 5

Cylindrophiidae

Question 6

10 genera, 57 sp S India, Sri Lanka

Burrowers, scales glossy and iridescent, cylindrical body (no neck constriction), small heads, tail tip modified and often larger than head

Answer 6

Uropeltidae

Question 7

2 genera, 3 sp

S China, SE Asia

Iridescent scales, up to 1 m long, burrowers, pointy nose, brown above w/ white belly and often irregular white patches

Answer 7

Xenopeltidae

Question 8

10 genera, 41 sp

Australasia, S Asia, sub-Saharan Africa

Subcaudal scales paired, teeth on premaxilla, oviparous, lips have sensory pits, ventral scales smaller than width of body, one anal scale

Answer 8

Pythonidae

Question 9

1 genus, 3 sp

S Asia, SE Asia, Australasia

Strongly keeled scales file-llike, loose baggy skin, small rough pebbly scales, no large ventral scales, nocturnal and viviparous, entirely aquatic

Answer 9

Acrochordidae

Question 10

30 genera, 229 sp

N America, S America, Asia

Paired highly developed heat sensing pit organs b/w eye and nostril, not in labial scales, some have modified scales at tip of tail

Answer 10

Crotalinae

Question 11

13 genera, 98 sp

Eurasia, Africa (Old World)

Lack pit organs and rattles, stout body, head differentiated (triangular)

Answer 11

Viperinae

Question 12

28 genera, 53 sp

S Asia, India, China, S to N Australia

Aquatic, venomous, small dorsally oriented eyes, dorsal valvular nostrils

Answer 12

Homalopsidae

Question 13

63 genera, 347 sp

Australia, Oceania, Africa, Asia, S North America, South America

All venomous, neurotoxic, small fixed fangs on front of long maxillary, head small and not wider than body, body long and cylindrical, lack loreal scales, sea snakes have tail fins, reduced ventral scales and nostrils on top of heads, paired anal scales

Answer 13

Elapidae

Question 14

60 genera, 306 sp

Africa, Madagascar, some into S Europe, Middle East, and Asia

Includes common nocturnal snakes, Atractaspidinae (enormous hollow fangs that stick out holes on side of head and strike w/ lateral slashing motion), eyes small, burrowers, snout shovel like, scales smooth and small

No specimens

Answer 14

Lamprophiidae

Question 15

255 genera, 1822 sp

Worldwide

Extremely diverse, lack vestigial limbs, left lung, and coronoid bone, most non-venomous, some have rear fangs Best to identify by eliminating other groups

Answer 15

Colubridae

Question 16

Answer 16

Pythonidae

Question 17

Answer 17

Pythonidae

Question 18

Answer 18

Pythonidae

Question 19

Answer 19

Pythonidae

Question 20

Answer 20

Pythonidae

Question 21

Answer 21

Pythonidae

Question 22

Answer 22

Acrochordidae

Question 23

Answer 23

Crotalinae

Question 24

Answer 24

Crotalinae

Question 25

Answer 25

Crotalinae

Question 26

Answer 26

Crotalinae

Question 27

Answer 27

Elapidae

Question 28

Answer 28

Elapidae

Question 29

Answer 29

Elapidae

Question 30

Answer 30

Colubridae

Question 31

Answer 31

Colubridae

Question 32

Answer 32

Colubridae

Question 33

Answer 33

Colubridae

Question 34

Answer 34

Colubridae