Fun Redstripe Ribbon Snake Facts For Kids

The Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus as it is scientifically known, belongs to the Colubridae family and genus Thamnophis. It is considered to be a subspecies of the western ribbon snake.

The Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, is endemic to the Edwards coast in West Texas. These are known to be small to medium in length.

It is distinguishable because of the red stripe on the center of the back and hence the name. There are lateral stripes that are pale on each side of the body.

These lateral lines run along scale rows three and four above the belly. The tail of the Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, makes up 25-33% of the body.

Males tend to be more small and slender than a female who is sturdy or stout-bodied and large as it grows old. They are mostly found in bodies of water like ponds, lakes, or swamps and near the vegetated habitat or similar areas.

The Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, is semi-aquatic, fast-moving, and a great swimmer. The diet mainly includes amphibians like cricket frogs and fish.

Their reproduction takes place by carrying live young in the abdomen which is incubated inside. The lifespan differs in wild and captivity.

The Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus is popular as a pet. It is quite interesting to know about this species of reptiles and if you are interested, read about the worm snake and King cobra too.

Redstripe Ribbon Snake Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Redstripe Ribbon Snake?

The Redstripe Ribbon Snake is a snake.

What class of animal does a Redstripe Ribbon Snake belong to?

The Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, belongs to the class of reptiles.

How many Redstripe Ribbon Snakes are there in the world?

There is no exact number or count of these snakes recorded.

Where does a Redstripe Ribbon Snake live?

These snakes live in the geographic range of West Texas on the Edwards Coast.

What is a Redstripe Ribbon Snake's habitat?

These are highly aquatic animals and are always found near water. These have been reported in or around smaller and larger creeks and ponds, lakes with an abundance of fish and frogs.

Who does Redstripe Ribbon Snake live with?

The Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus or as it is known by its common name, Redstripe Ribbon snake, is known to hibernate in groups.

How long does a Redstripe Ribbon Snake live?

This snake is known to live for about three to six years in the wild and around 12-20 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

Not much information is available about reproduction but commonly a garter snake is ovoviviparous, that is it carries live young and the baby is incubated in the lower part of the abdomen. The gestation period lasts for about two to three months.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus or the Redstripe Ribbon snake is unknown. It is a subspecies of the western ribbon snake and so not much is known about the snake.

Redstripe Ribbon Snake Fun Facts

What do Redstripe Ribbon Snakes look like?

These snakes are identifiable because of their red stripe which goes down on the center of the back. This red stripe starts from the head or from behind the head.

There is a pair of white spots on the head which can sometimes merge into one. The lips of the snake are cream in color and there are no bars and stripes.

There are lateral stripes that are pale on each side of the body. These lateral lines run along scale rows three and four above the belly. This snake is known to shed its tail for its defense.

Males can be thin and smaller while females can be long and wide or stout. This snake is generally greenish, brown, gray, or yellow in color because of its lateral lines along with the red mid-dorsal stripe.

How cute are they?

These snakes are not considered cute by people.

How do they communicate?

Not much information is available about the communication of these snakes but commonly these snakes are known to hunt visually and use their tongue to collect chemicals in the air to analyze, this is also used to find or search for mates or their trails. They are also known to use touch as a method of communication.

How big is a Redstripe Ribbon Snake?

These snakes can be small to medium in size and can be 47-53 in (1200-1340 mm) long.

How fast can a Redstripe Ribbon Snake move?

The exact speed of this Redstripe ribbon snake is unknown but they are known to be quite fast-moving snakes.

How much does a Redstripe Ribbon Snake weigh?

The weight of this species is unknown.

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the males and females of this species.

What would you call a baby Redstripe Ribbon Snake?

There is no particular name for a baby of this species but they are referred to as young.

What do they eat?

The diet of the Redstripe Ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, primarily includes amphibians like cricket frogs. They are also known to sometimes feed on fish and tadpoles and rarely, feed on lizards and insects.

Are they poisonous?

This snake species is not considered poisonous and is not thought to be harmful to humans but sometimes their bite can lead to some mild reaction in humans because their saliva contains some toxins.

Would they make a good pet?

As this species is non-venomous, it is popular as pets because of its colorful body and active nature or behavior. These species are considered to be shy ones and are known to pose no threat or danger to kids as well.

Their food is easy to provide as they like fishes rather as well as amphibians but the hibernation, mating, and housing of these species are to be taken care of. These species do not like to be handled.

Did you know...

These species tend to produce a pungent or foul-smelling musk when they are handled.  

This is a comparatively long species of garter snake.

When searching for this subspecies, look around water as these are commonly found near the water bodies.

The eastern ribbon snake or Thamnophis saurita saurita or sauritus is more common as pets.

What is the difference between a garter snake and a ribbon snake?

There are certain differences between these two and can be understood by the differences in description or appearance. The description of Garter snakes is known to be a heavily built body or a sturdy body as compared to a ribbon snake.

The tail of a Ribbon snake makes up one-third of their body length and the tails of the garter snakes are known to be smaller than that of ribbon snakes.

The head of a ribbon snake tends to be narrower than that of the garter snakes.

A ribbon snake's lips are pure white or cream with no stripes or bars while the garter snakes tend to have dark sports. Some ribbon snakes have a white spot in front of the eye while the garter snakes do not have one.

Do they bite?

Sometimes, these ribbon snakes can bite, and this bite can produce a mild reaction in humans but are not harmful.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles including the boa and black mamba.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our redstripe ribbon snake coloring pages.