Cyclocorus

Cyclocorus
Cyclocorus lineatus lineatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Cyclocoridae
Genus: Cyclocorus
Duméril & Bibron, 1853[1]

Cyclocorus is a genus of cyclocorid snakes endemic to the Philippines. They are found on every major island except for those of the Palawan chain.[2]

Cyclocorus are found in forested areas on the ground beneath logs or in debris piles. They eat other snakes, including Pseudorabdion and Calamaria, as well as lizards and eggs. They breed during the rainy season (December to March) and lay 5 to 6 eggs underneath logs or in ant hills.

The average adult size of Cyclocorus is about 40 cm, and the maximum size is about 48 cm in total length.[2] Cyclocorus are gray-brown with indistinct dark lines along the back, yellowish or white on the belly with many black blotches, and a series of tiny white dots along the sides of the belly. Snakes in this genus have small eyes with round pupils, smooth dorsal scales in 17 rows, and unusual dentition, wherein the anterior three to seven maxillary teeth increase in size, terminating in two very large fang-like teeth, followed by a short diastema and 12 to 15 smaller teeth.[2]

  1. ^ Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume I. London.
  2. ^ a b c Leviton, Alan E. (1965). "Contributions to a review of Philippine snakes, IX: the snakes of the genus Cyclocorus". Philippine Journal of Science. 94 (4): 519–533.