Editing Colubridae (section)

==Description==
Colubrids are a very diverse group of snakes. They can exhibit many different body styles, body sizes, colors, and patterns. They can also live in many different types of habitats including aquatic, terrestrial, semi-arboreal, arboreal, desert, mountainous forests, semi-fossorial, and brackish waters.<ref name="Vitt, Laurie J 2014">{{cite book|last1=Vitt|first1=Laurie J.|first2=Janalee P.|last2=Caldwell|title=Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles|edition=4th|publisher=Elsevier Inc|year=2013|isbn=978-0-12-386919-7|pages=622–626}}</ref>{{rp|622-623}} 
A primarily shy and harmless group of snakes, the vast majority of colubrids are not [[venomous snake|venomous]], nor do most colubrids produce [[venom]] that is medically significant to [[Mammalia|mammals]]. However, the bites of some can escalate quickly to emergency situations. Furthermore, within the Colubridae, the South African [[boomslang]] and [[twig snake]]s, as well as the Asian keelback snakes (''[[Rhabdophis]]'' sp.) have long been notorious for inflicting the worst bites on humans, with the most confirmed fatalities.<ref name=EoR/><ref name="Bruna Azara 1995">{{cite journal |author=Bruna Azara, C. |year=1995 |title=Animales venenosos. Vertebrados terrestres venenosos peligrosos para el ser humano en España |url=http://www.sea-entomologia.org/PDF/BOLETIN_11/B11-009-032.pdf |journal=Boletín de la S.E.A. |volume=11 |pages=32–40 |access-date=2016-09-30 |archive-date=2020-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814031303/http://sea-entomologia.org/PDF/BOLETIN_11/B11-009-032.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Weinstein2011">{{cite book |doi=10.1016/C2010-0-68461-6 |title="Venomous" Bites from Non-Venomous Snakes |date=2011 |isbn=978-0-12-387732-1 }}</ref>

Some colubrids are described as ''[[snake dentition|opisthoglyphous]]'' (often simply called "rear-fanged"), meaning they possess shortened, grooved "fangs" located at the back of the upper jaw. It is thought that opisthoglyphy evolved many times throughout the natural history of [[Squamata|squamates]]<ref name="Bruna Azara 1995"/> and is an evolutionary precursor to the larger, frontal fangs of [[Viperidae|vipers]] and [[Elapidae|elapids]].<ref name="Jackson2003">{{cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=K |title=The evolution of venom-delivery systems in snakes |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |date=2003 |volume=137 |issue=3 |pages=337–354 |doi=10.1046/j.1096-3642.2003.00052.x |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Vonk2008">{{cite journal |last1=Vonk |first1=F. J. |last2=Admiraal |first2=J. F. |last3=Jackson |first3=K. |last4=Reshef |first4=R. |last5=de Bakker |first5=M. A. |last6=Vanderschoot |first6=K. |last7=van den Berge |first7=I. |last8=van Atten |first8=M. |last9=Burgerhout |first9=E.|last10=Beck|first10=A. |title=Evolutionary origin and development of snake fangs |journal=Nature |date=2008 |volume=454 |issue=7204 |pages=630–633 |doi=10.1038/nature07178 |pmid=18668106 |bibcode=2008Natur.454..630V |s2cid=4362616 }}</ref><ref name="Fryetal2012">{{cite journal |last1=Fry |first1=B. G. |last2=Casewell |first2=N. R. |last3=Wüster |first3=W. |last4=Vidal |first4=N. |last5=Young |first5=B. |last6=Jackson |first6=T. N. |title=The structural and functional diversification of the Toxicofera reptile venom system |journal=Toxicon |date=2012 |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=434–448 |doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.02.013 |pmid=22446061 |bibcode=2012Txcn...60..434F }}</ref><ref name=EoR/><ref name="Bruna Azara 1995"/> These grooved fangs tend to be sharpest on the anterior and posterior edges.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Cleuren |first1=Silke G. C. |last2=Hocking |first2=David P. |last3=Evans |first3=Alistair R. |date=June 2021 |title=Fang evolution in venomous snakes: Adaptation of 3D tooth shape to the biomechanical properties of their prey |journal=Evolution |language=en |volume=75 |issue=6 |pages=1377–1394 |doi=10.1111/evo.14239 |pmid=33904594 |url=https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/334aa3e9-42d2-4947-8bd4-f8cb8e6b75d0 }}</ref> While feeding, colubrids move their jaws backward to create a cutting motion between the posterior edge and the prey's tissue.<ref name=":2" /> In order to inject venom, colubridae must chew on their prey.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-824315-2.00652-7 |chapter=Snakes |title=Encyclopedia of Toxicology |date=2024 |last1=Schmalzried |first1=Scott |last2=Ceretto |first2=Vincent |pages=567–571 |isbn=978-0-323-85434-4 }}</ref> Colubrids can also be proteroglyphous (fangs at the front of the upper jaw, followed by small solid teeth)<ref name="Vitt, Laurie J 2014"/>

Most Colubridae are oviparous (mode of reproduction where an egg is produced that will later hatch) with clutch size varying by size and species of snake. However, certain species of snakes from the subfamilies of [[Natricinae]] and [[Colubrinae]] are viviparous (mode of reproduction where young are live birthed). These viviparous species can birth various amounts of offspring at a time, but the exact number of offspring depends on the size and species of snake.<ref name="Vitt, Laurie J 2014"/>