Boiga dendrophila


Boiga dendrophila, commonly called the mangrove snake or the gold-ringed cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southeast Asia. It is one of the biggest cat snake species, averaging 6–8 feet in length. It is considered mildy venomous. Although moderate envenomations resulting in intense swelling have been reported, there has never been a confirmed fatality.

Description

B. dendrophila has the following characters: Snout longer than eye; rostral more broad than deep, visible from above; internasals as long as or shorter than the prae-frontals; frontal as long as or slightly shorter than its distance from the tip of the snout; loreal as long as deep or more long; a praeocular extending to the upper surface of the head, not reaching the frontal; two postoculars; temporals 2 + 2 or 2 + 3; eight upper labials, third to fifth entering the eye; four or five lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields; latter as long as or longer than the posterior; anterior palatine teeth not much larger than the posterior.
Scales in 21 rows, vertebral row enlarged; ventrals 209-239; anal entire; subcaudals 89. Black above, with yellow transverse bands, continuous or not extending across the back; labials yellow, with black edges. Lower surface black or bluish, uniform or speckled with yellow; throat yellow. Total length .

Behavior

Mostly nocturnal, B. dendrophila is a potentially aggressive snake. Even captive bred specimens can be nervous and may strike repeatedly. Although many specimens will calm down and allow handling, it is normally easily stressed and may refuse food for extended periods of time if disturbed. Handling, of course, should involve safety precautions for the handler, due to the snake's nervous nature and the fact that a bite can cause pain and injury.

Geographic range

B. dendrophila is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Subspecies

Including the nominotypical subspecies, nine subspecies are recognized as being valid.
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Boiga.
The subspecific name, levitoni, is in honor of American herpetologist Alan E. Leviton.

Habitat

Despite one of its common names, mangrove snake, B. dendrophila is found more often in lowland rainforests than in the mangrove swamps from which its common name is derived.

Diet

B. dendrophila feeds on reptiles, birds, and small mammals in the wild.

Venom

The venom of B. dendrophila is not considered life-threatening to humans, and it has been kept as a pet.

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