Erythrolamprus ornatus, also known commonly as the ornate ground snake and the Saint Lucia racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae.[2] The species is native to the eastern Caribbean. It is the rarest snake on earth with fewer than 20 left in the wild.[4]
Erythrolamprus ornatus is endemic to Saint Lucia,[5] an island nation in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea.
The preferred natural habitats of E. ornatus are forest and shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 950 m (3,120 ft).[1]
Adults of this non-venomous snake, E. ornatus, may attain a total length (including tail) of 123.5 cm (48.6 in).[6] Its coloration is variable. Some individuals have a broad brown vertebral stripe. In others, the brown stripe is interrupted by alternating yellow spots.[6]
Erythrolamprus ornatus is probably diurnal.[6]
Erythrolamprus ornatus preys on small rodents and lizards.[6]
Erythrolamprus ornatus is oviparous.[3]
In 1936, E. ornatus was declared extinct, but it was rediscovered in 1973. It disappeared again soon after, but 11 individuals were found in 2012 on the mongoose-free island of Maria Major off the coast of Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia.[7][8]
Erythrolamprus ornatus, also known commonly as the ornate ground snake and the Saint Lucia racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the eastern Caribbean. It is the rarest snake on earth with fewer than 20 left in the wild.
