Snakes in Thailand: The Striped Bronzeback or Bronze Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus)
The Bronze Boomslang (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) is a snake in the family Colubridae and the subfamily Ahaetuliinae.
The scientific name of the species was first proposed by John Edward Gray in 1834. The scientific name Ahaetulla caudolineata was originally used. The species name caudolineatus roughly translates as 'striped tail'. Five different subspecies were distinguished, but are no longer recognised. All subspecies are now regarded as full-fledged species.
The Bronze Boomslang (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) is a species of snake that belongs to the family of whip snakes (Colubridae). This snake is found in Southeast Asia, including countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They are mainly found in forests, shrublands and agricultural areas, where they can adapt well to different environments. The Bronze Boomslang is a slender, medium-sized snake that can reach a length of about 1 to 1,5 meters. As the name implies, this snake has a bronze color with dark stripes or spots on the back and flanks. The ventral side is usually lighter in color.
This tree snake is an excellent climber and spends a lot of time in trees and shrubs. Here the animal preys mainly on small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs, small mammals and birds. They have large, backward-facing teeth that they use to grasp and kill their prey. The Bronze Boomslang is non-venomous and therefore poses no danger to humans.
The reproduction of the Bronze Boomslang takes place during the rainy season. Females lay eggs in hollow trees, under stones or in other sheltered places. After an incubation period of about 60 to 90 days, the eggs hatch and young snakes appear that soon become independent and start looking for food.
Although the Bronze Boomslang is not considered an endangered species, this snake is suffering from deforestation and habitat loss due to human activities. Preserving natural habitats and raising awareness about the importance of this snake to the ecosystem are crucial to sustaining the species.
Specifics and features of the
- Name in English:Striped bronze back
- Name in Thai:งูสายม่านแดงหลังลาย (ngu sai man daeng lang lai)
- Scientific name: Dendrelaphis caudolineatus, John Edward Gray, 1834
- Is found in: Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore
- Eating pattern: Lizards and tree frogs
And poisonous?
Hi Jan,
It is a defensive fast snake but not venomous.
I once asked a Thai how he knew whether a snake was venomous or not
He replied…if the snake is slow then it is venomous…if it moves fast then it is not venomous
True or False ….
Not true. Certainly, for example, a king cobra can be very fast. But actually, most people will label almost any snake as fast, if the snake flees in fear after seeing a human.
Unfortunately, there is no simple way to distinguish potentially dangerous from non-hazardous snakes.
The fact that professional herpetologists even make mistakes says enough about how difficult it is for a layperson to learn the differences. It would have been better if there was an easy road, but unfortunately in this region it is not easy.
There are some false information diagrams doing the rounds on the internet that you can see, for example, by the shape of the pupil whether a snake is poisonous. A trick that happens to work in the Netherlands, but no art if you only have three types. In Thailand, however, it doesn't work at all. It was said that round pupils are harmless snakes, and the vertical cat-like pupils are dangerous snakes, but then you have to look at the eyes of a king cobra, krait, coral snake or sea snake.
But there is a good other solution that allows you to avoid the potential danger even if you don't know all the snakes.
And that is simply by getting out of the snake's way. Three big steps back means you have nothing to fear. The only danger there is is that you accidentally step on a snake/too close and the snake didn't see you coming or, depending on the species, tried to sit very still hoping you wouldn't see it.
If you work outside in the garden, put on rubber boots so that you are protected up to your knees if you are unlucky enough to step on a hose. And where possible, wear something like the leather gloves they use for welding. It may not work very well, but then the chance that you will be bitten in your fingers is already a lot smaller (does not mean that snakes cannot bite through this at all!).
And a lit, clean, wide path to your house so that you can see well in the dark whether there is a snake in your path, will greatly reduce the risk of a bite.
Besides the degree of agitation that the snake has, it would also be interesting to know
to what extent the snake is aggressive .
I have experience with this beautiful snake on our Bio-farm in Chiangmai.
She is not aggressive elfish when cornered by our needs…
And in response to Cory, this species is not found in Chiang Mai. But if it looked very similar and also had stripes on the side, then you probably had to deal with the Painted Bronzeback, Dendrelaphis pictus. Has some of it.
The northernmost site for the Dendrelaphis caudolineatus in this article is Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Hi Cory
Do you sometimes also organize tours of the bio-farm for visitors in the Changmai region?
Possible rental accommodation
First, it's defensive, not aggressive. Snakes don't attack without being provoked. Snakes want nothing to do with humans. Because they don't stand a chance in a fight with what they consider to be a gigantic creature like humans. And so if you give them enough space and the feeling that they can safely turn their backs on you, they will always choose to flee. Only if you decide to go closer and catch or try to kill the snake, most species will defend themselves and there is a chance of being bitten. So not recommended 😉
What are the chances of seeing a snake in urban areas?
I have lived in Krung Thep for 7 years now but have never seen a snake, sometimes a big lizard like the one in Lumphini park. Forgot the name of it.
It was in a khlong near Rama 3 road