Reptile & Amphibian Forums

At the San Antonio Zoo, they have some really cool looking striped pine snakes. They're huge and they look like the snake in the photo contest picture at the top of this page.

On the zoo's website, they're listed as "Gibson's lined pine snake" and "southern lined pine snake". The Latin names are not given. I googled those common names and found nothing. Does anyone know what they might be?

Pituophis lineaticollis-I've seen the SA zoo animals-awesome!
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Pituophis lineaticollis
Lined gopher snake

Institution Males Females Unknowns Births (last 12 months)
SAN ANTON 2 2 0 0
{Regional Subtotal} {2} {2} {0} {0}
GUAT CITY 0 0 2 0
{Regional Subtotal} {0} {0} {2} {0}
Totals 2 2 2 0

Thanks! Too bad they're not more readily available in captivity. I guess it wouldn't be a good snake for someone without much experience anyway.

The San Antonio Zoo specimens of "Northern Lined Pine" are the founders of all many of our P lineaticollis we have on this forum.

The "Gibson's Lined Pines" are the subspecies from Guatamela, hence the name "southern lined pine".

FWIW, when we were given the opportunity to sell many of the first babies ever sold, they had no common name. I studied them and their scientific name. Together with the breeder we agreed on the name "Lined Pine" for it's alliteration and relationship to the scientific name. I am happy to see the SA Zoo followed my lead using this name. I do see many folks calling them "Lined Gophers" and while this may make more evolutionary sense it does not sound so poetic.
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AMAZON REPTILE CENTER

NAMED BEST REPTILE STORE IN LOS ANGELES

scott,

I have got to interject.....These animals actualy do have a widely used COMMON NAME! The folks who have lived with them for generations call them "Masaquate" or "Masaquate del tierra frio". Why as Americans do we think we have to reinvent a name for them?

I would probably either go with the latin (Pituophis lineaticollis), the Latin translation "line-necked pinesnake" or the established common name of Masaquate'. But that is only MHO.

Beautiful animals no matter what the name!

Why as Americans do we think we have to reinvent a name for them?

I agree we are very "ego-centric"(?) regarding these things, but the fact remains we do/are.

The North Africans call Uromastyx species "Dabb"lizards. Why we utilize a hard to enunciate scientific name as a common name and not the easily pronounced native name for the genus is beyond me.

I cannot think of a single common name that we use that is the same as the name by people indigenous to the habitat of the reptile. Even USA names for some like chicken snake or pilot snake aren't used in the hobby.

Anyone?
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AMAZON REPTILE CENTER

NAMED BEST REPTILE STORE IN LOS ANGELES

>> Why as Americans do we think we have to reinvent a name for
>>Anyone?

I forgot the Cajuns call Anolis lizards from the bayous "anole" pronounced "anolee" with a hard he as the last syllable.
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AMAZON REPTILE CENTER

NAMED BEST REPTILE STORE IN LOS ANGELES

I can think of several cases in Mexico where the indigenous folks have more than one name for the same animal, so it seems they are guilty of this too!
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

The bird folks thought of this and worked hard to standardize common names early on. the herp community is catching up but still has a way to go.

Where I grew up there were three types of snakes, rattlers, bullsnakes, and any thing in or near water was a "cotton mouth". Oh, I forgot the fourth variety, "Garden snakes"

Some folks eliminated the 2nd type and considered any large aggresive animal a "Rattler".