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Abbreviation Legend
- (CE) - Criticially Endangered
- (CI) - Critically Imperiled
- (E) - Endangered
- (I) - Introduced
- (IM) - Imperiled
- (NT) - Near Threatened
- (T) - Threatened
- (V) - Vulnerable
- (**) - Recent Classification Change
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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) Page 1 of 5
Colubrids of the United StatesPage 1 of 5
The majority of the world's snake belong to the family Colubridae. There is so much diversification of structure within this family that it has been divided into groups known as subfamilies. Most of the colubrids, as the snakes of this family are called, are the typical harmless snakes that predominate in every continent except Antartica.
A colubrid (from Latin coluber, snake) is a snake that is a member of the Colubridae family. It is a broad classification of snakes that includes well over half of all snake species on earth. Colubrid species are found on every continent, except Antarctica.
A colubrid's body is almost completely covered in scales. They have highly flexible jaws, allowing them to consume large prey items, and have no remnant of a pelvic girdle.
While most colubrids are non-venomous (or have venom that isn't known to be harmful to humans) and are normally harmless, a few groups, such as genus Boiga, can produce medically significant bites, while the boomslang and the twig snakes have caused human fatalities. The venom is a modified form of saliva, secreted by glands in the upper jaw.
The venom-injecting fangs of colubrids are termed opisthoglyphous, meaning that the small, grooved fangs are located in the back of the upper jaw, unlike those of vipers and elapids, which are located in the front. Even non-venomous colubrids often have fangs in this position, and use them to puncture egg-shells or similar food.
There are 142 species of colubrids found in the United States, only 2 of which have been Introduced.
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