colubrid
/ˈkɒljʊbrɪd
/noun Zoology
A snake of a very large family (Colubridae) which includes the majority of harmless species, such as grass snakes and garter snakes. The few venomous species have grooved fangs in the rear of the upper jaw.Red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) are small nonvenomous colubrid snakes, a northeastern subspecies of a taxon (the common garter snake) that is widely distributed through North America....
- Among the more than 2,500 living species of snakes, mandibular transport mechanisms are known elsewhere only in a small number of cochleophagous (snail-eating) colubrids of the subfamilies Dipsadinae and Pareatinae.
- It is usually assumed that albinism would be detrimental for a wild snake, but documented instances of albinism in natricines, and other colubrids, make this unclear.
Origin
Late 19th century: from modern Latin Colubridae (plural), from Latin coluber 'snake'.