About Cubophis caymanus (Garman, 1887)
Cubophis caymanus, commonly called the Grand Cayman racer, is a species of long, slender snake. Adults of this species usually measure between 500 to 860 mm (20 to 34 inches) in length, and females are generally larger than males. The largest recorded Grand Cayman racer was a female specimen that reached 1,190 mm (47 inches) in length and weighed 1.25 kg (2.8 lb). The snake's grey body is marked with alternating bands of black and red or pink. It consistently has a dark head, with a distinctive stripe that runs from the tip of the snout at the nostrils back to the temporal scales. This species has a divided anal scale. Male Grand Cayman racers have between 171 and 177 ventral scales, while females have 174 to 178 ventral scales. Many individual snakes of this species have incomplete, shortened tails, which is thought to result from attacks by bird predators or interactions with land crabs. As its common name indicates, the Grand Cayman racer is found exclusively on Grand Cayman Island, the largest of the three Cayman Islands. This species is oviparous, meaning it lays eggs. Females produce clutches of 8 to 9 eggs. The nesting period lasts approximately 4 months: egg laying begins in May, and eggs hatch between August and the end of September.
