Paradise tree snake
Paradise tree snake
Both specimens are Chrysopelea paradisi
variabilis.
They are looking very different, thats why this form is called variabilis.
There are at least 3 major colour phases, these pictures show two of them.
But even inside these phases every specimen is looking very different.
There is no other Chrysopelea excisting in the Philippines.
These
snakes are pictured in 2006 in St Cecilia, Gusa, Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao.
_If you are lucky, you may spot this elegant snakes
warming itself quietly in a sunny spot. But you have to be sharp eyed as they
are well camouflaged.
_They are the largest of the Flying Snakes, so
named because they are the only snakes that can move through the air.
They don't
actually fly or glide but instead, perform a sort of parachute jump.
Main
features: Long, thin; mildly venomous, rear-fanged. Reaches 1
to 1.2 meter.
World
distribution: Lowland rainforests of South and Southeast Asia from India to
Southern China and the Philippines, down the Malay peninsula to Indonesia.
Classification: Family Colubridae, Genus Chrysopelea.
_There are 5 species of Flying Snakes:
1. Golden
Tree Snake (C. ornata); 2. Paradise Tree Snake (Crysopelea
Paradisi): much less common,
sometimes with reddish-orange spots; 3. Twin-banded Tree Snake (Crysopelea
Pelias); 4. C. rhodopleuron;
5. C. taprobanica.
also
called: soaring Serpents:
_To
do this, they "suck in their guts" to form a U-shaped half-cylinder along the
entire length of their bodies.
The outer edges of their belly scales are rigid
while the central portion of their belly scales fold upwards.
This concave
surface acts like a parachute, and increases air resistance to prolong the
"flight".
_The snake has some degree of control,
undulating through the air as if swimming, holding its tail rigidly upwards and
twisting the tail from side to side for balance.
In this way, they can cross as
much as 100m, although they crash land clumsily.
This allows them to cross long
distances quickly, perhaps to catch prey, escape predators or simply to move
around.
They generally parachute from tree to tree, but sometimes from tree to
ground.
To achieve this feat, they first have to climb up a tall launch point,
which is not a problem as they have ridged (keeled) belly scales to help them
grip vertical surfaces.
_Although a cornered snake can be aggressive,
the few snakes that I have come across in the park are shy and retiring.
If they
are left alone and observed from a distance, they remain motionless or quietly
go about their business.
Their venom is mild, and affects only their small prey.
Their fangs are short, located at the back of the mouth, and are not
hypodermic-like; the venom is injected through grooves in the fangs.
Thus, they
can only inject venom into prey that is well inside their mouths.
As such, they
hunt small prey like lizards, frogs, birds and bats.
They stalk or pursue the
prey and bite them on the neck.
Small prey may be killed by their strong
crushing jaws.
Flying Snakes are active during the day and are mostly found in
trees rather than on the ground.
Breeding: Little is known about their breeding habits.
They lay 6-11
eggs, hatchlings are 15-20cm long and have the same pattern as the adults but
their colors are brighter.
Role in the habitat: Like other predators, they control the populations
of their prey.
They are also eaten by others higher up on the food chain.
Status and threats:
Flying Tree Snakes are not endangered at present.
They do not
tame well and do poorly in captivity.
Redactie: info(at)rijskamp.com
Cagayan
de Oro May 29, 2007
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