WORLD PITUOPHIS WEB PAGE BY PATRICK H. BRIGGS

Pituophis deppei jani 

 Photo by Patrick H. Briggs

 Digital image below by Patrick Houston Briggs June 29, 2014

 NORTHERN MEXICAN PINE SNAKE (Cope, 1860)

By Patrick Houston Briggs

Because of its range, the Northern Mexican Pine Snake probably should be called the North-Eastern Mexican Pine Snake. (See the range map at the bottom of this web page) Pituophis deppei jani was named scientifically for Giorgio D. Jan, Director of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Parma from 1859-1895. Originally its range was reported from northern Hidalgo to southeastern Coahuila, south-central Nuevo Leon and western Tamaulipas, Mexico; now its range extends further and intergrades with the nominate, confusing the racial boundries. Wild populations are found at elevations from 4,500 ft up to 7000 ft with terrains ranging from Pine forest through to highly elevated desert.

There are less than 40 dorsal markings, including the tail, which are interspaced generally by 5 or more scales in length. The posterior markings are saddle-shaped and tend to fuse at the sides. Some of these animals are quite beautiful and may be cream or a deep yellow ground color with red, rust, and blackish markings. Others are golden or an orange with tan, light brown, and cream like tones. The head may be slightly or unmarked.

 Below is one of my young female yellow-orange morph "jani".

Digital image by Patrick Houston Briggs

 Digital Image below by Patrick Houston Briggs 2013

 Below is a yearling "jani"the same snake as the one above when it was younger. Note the ontogenic color change.

In another year, the snake will look better, and this will intensify more with each outer skin slough.

Digital photo by Patrick H. Briggs, November 16, 2014

Belly View of the same yearling jani above (November 2014)

Digital Photo Image By Patrick Houston Briggs

 Digital Image below by Patrick Houston Briggs

Digital image of a yearling Pituophis deppei jani  closeup right side head study by Patrick H. Briggs

 For Advanced Pituophis people only, see the site address below for a facsinating science paper follow up: http://www.sociedadherpetologicamexicana.org/uri/museo/pituo.pdf

http://collections.si.edu/search/record/nmnhvz_6367545 

See the article: Alan Kardon's article The Tale of the Ugly Snakeling: The Northern Mexican Pine Snake. published in Reptiles Magazine .January 1997.

Scutelation

                                                             Mid-body Scales        29-31                         Supralabials                8-9

                                                             Ventrals                     225-235                    Infralabials                  10-13

                                                             Caudals                      52-66                        Preoculars                   1

                                                             Anal                            Single                       Postoculars                 2-4

                                                             Prefrontals                 2

References

1. © Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Amphibians & Reptiles, some rights reserved

Also known as Jan's Mexican Bull Snake

Pituophis deppei jani

The Northern Mexican pine snake specimen below is a reddish copper phase.

 This beautiful animal below was photographed by Timothy Burkhardt August 4, 2008 in La Pena of Tamaulipas, Mexico

 Some of the first captive bred bloodlines of Jani originate from Poblado Los Mimbres, Municipio Durango, Mexico.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31570/31570-h/31570-h.htm

http://slybird.blogspot.com/2008/08/herp-of-day-pituophis-deppei-jani.html

 http://suncoastherps.com/animals/pits/mexpine.php

Young Wild Jani:  http://www.vivanatura.org/Pituophis_deppeiPhotos.html

See this good site:http://www.ratsnakezone.com/pituophis/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=18

Sweet picture of a wild P. d. jani from La Pena, Tamaulipas Mexico: http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=348767&one=T

Pituophis deppei jani

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy John Ginter

  Lloyd Lemke in the  1990's was one of the very first keepers to produce

captive bred stock from the parent stock that were legally caught animals.

My understanding is that he obtained them from Alan Kardon and Randy

Limburg along with deppei deppei specimens from specific recorded locales.

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Lloyd Lemke

Northern Mexican Pine Snake (the author's Yellow Phase male adult jani below)

 Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi

Pituophis deppei jani

Photo by Pat Briggs 2016 

Pituophis deppei jani

Digital photo by Pat Briggs and Pete Marshall

 Northern pine snake head study straight on facing the snout

Photo by Pat Briggs and Pete Marshall

 Northern pine snake head study lateral right side

Northern Mexican Pine snake 

By Pat Briggs 2016 

Pituophis deppei jani 

Image by Patrick Briggs 2016 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 PhotobyPatrick Photo slide by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs

(Notice below that Pituophis deppei jani has only 2 prefrontals.)

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Tom Moisi

 Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Lloyd Lemke (Below Neonate Jani)

Their ontogenic color change is Amazing to behold. They get prettier with every shed!  

One of my 2013 hatchling female "jani". Note the ontogenic color change a year later in the image below this image.

Digital image by Patrick H. Briggs 2013 

Digital closeup of one of my yellow morph female Northern Mexican pine snake (the same individual as above but a year later) when viewed from above.

Digital Image By Patrick Houston Briggs November 16, 2014

Female adult Pituophis deppei jani  below 

Photo slide scan by Patrick H. Briggs Courtesy T. Moisi

 Here is a fiesty live crawling snapping snake from Veracruz, Mexico on YouTube.

No obstante, la foto que nos envía Víctor sí permite una identificación clara: se trata de la serpiente del maizal, serpiente toro o cincuate (género Pituophis). Y hasta podemos apuntar la especie: Pituophis deppei, e incluso precisar la variedad: es un cincuate de cabeza roja (Pituophis deppei jani), que ya fue descrito por Edward Drinker Cope en 1861 (el mismo que

Pete Marshall with a red morph bull snake and Pat Briggs with light morph Northern Mexican pine snake.

Digital Image by "Wendy Wensted" director of the Sulfer Creek Nature Learning Center and Park in Hayward, California

The hatchling below is an intermediate once-Pituophis catenifer sayi x twice-Pituophis deppei jani 

by breeding father deppei jani above with his daughter intergrade a couple images down.

Digital Photo by Pat Briggs

Below is an adult female intergrade Pituophis catenifer sayi x Pituophis deppei jani produced from the parent stock 2 images above.

Digital Image by Patrick H. Briggs Courtesy Pete Marshall

Adult male jani bred with huge adult female red sayi and again the father jani of the intergrade above bred with its daughter above poduced the yearling below.

Digital Image of jani x sayi intermediate by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Pete Marshall

Climbing Mount Whitney starting from Mineral King on the west side of the Sierras. Scout Troop 496

Digital Image by Jonathon Buckley