The Red-bellied Racer (Alsophis rufiventris) is a small snake found only on Sint Eustatius and Saba. It is brown with black markings on its back and a pink throat. It kills its prey (small reptiles, rodents) by injecting them with weak venom and swallowing them whole.
CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Colubridae
Genus Alsophis
STATUS
The red-bellied racer is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List
DESCRIPTION
The Red bellied Racer is one of a group of snakes known as Alsophis of snakes in the Colubroid Dipsadidae family. They are among those snakes called “racers” and occur throughout the Caribbean. One species in the genus Alsophis may be the world’s rarest snake, and is currently critically endangered. Snakes of the genus Alsophis are small, rear-fanged snakes, and they are considered harmless to people. This genus contains at least nine described species.
Alsophis are harmless to humans and have a gentle temperament. They are diurnal, which means they are active from dawn to dusk except for a rest around midday. Some species of Alsophis have a poor resistance to common diseases not found where the snake is actually from.
HABITAT
BIOLOGY
CONSERVATION AND MONITORING
St Eustatius National Parks 