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Anguillian Racer
Alsophis rijersmai
The Anguillian Racer is a totally harmless species that reaches 1.5 meters in length. It is naturally gentle and shy. It is sexually dimorphic with females being larger than males. Females are brown in color while males are gray.
The Anguillian Racer is a snake native to the very tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla. Anguilla. is only 16 miles long and 3 miles across at its widest point. The island's human population is about 8,500. The native human population of the island is very superstitious of the Racer. The Racer is usually killed on sight and is on the verge of extinction. In 1962, the Racer was commonly sited. By 1996, the species was globally declared an endangered species.
To combat this problem, the government held National Snake Week (June 13 - 20) to try to convince the locals that the snake is harmless and need not be feared. The Anguilla. National Trust and Fauna and Flora International provided factual information about the snake to the Anguillian people. A survey was conducted and it was found that although most Anguillian people know that the snake is harmless (30% believe the snake is harmful), it is still feared and often killed. Some people know that the Racer is not venomous but believe that it can still cause harm by biting. This, however, is not true. The snake is not aggressive. It will only bite as a last effort of defense.
One of the goals of Snake Week was for the Anguillian people to stop killing the snakes and either leave them alone or merely chase them away. Another problem addressed during National Snake Week was that of snake habitat destruction by roaming goats.
During Snake Week, the snake was presented as a part of Anguilla's fauna and a vital aspect of the island's eco-system. The snake is a natural and cost-free mouse catcher. The Racer is also very important to Anguilla's tourism. Antigua, another Caribbean island, makes thousands of dollars from herp. tourists who visit the island specifically to see it's snake Alsophis antigua. Currently, many tourists come to Anguilla to see the Killy Killy or American Kestrel. One of this bird's main food sources is the Anguillian Racer. If the Racer disappears, the bird and tourist dollars will disappear. Additionally, nobody can truly predict the full ecological impact of the loss of any fauna or flora species from the small Anguillian eco-system.
The Angullian Racer belongs to the Alsophis genus. Species of this genus are found in the Caribbean Islands, western South America, and the Galapagos Islands. The snakes live in forests and rubble areas. There are many subspecies.
Special Thank - you to Andrew for providing information for this Anguillian Racer article.
