Chrysopelea ornata
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| iOrnate Flying Snake | ||||||||||||||||
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 Golden Flying Snake, C. ornata
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| Chrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802) |
The Ornate Flying Snake or Golden Flying Snake (Chrysopelea ornata) is a species of rear-fanged, gliding, colubrid snake found in India (Arunachal Pradesh (Chessa, Itanagar - Papum Pare district)), Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, western Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China (Hong Kong, Hainan, Yunnan), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi), and the Philippines.
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[edit] Subspecies
There are three recognized subspecies of C. ornata:
- Chrysopelea ornata ornata (Shaw, 1802)
- Chrysopelea ornata ornatissima (Werner, 1925)
- Chrysopelea ornata sinhaleya (Deraniyagala, 1945)
[edit] Description
The ornate flying snake is usually green in color, with black cross-hatching and yellow or gold colored accents. The difference between subspecies is minimal, and largely determined by geographic locality. They are thin bodied, and rarely exceed 40 inches in length, with a flattened head and a blunt nose.
[edit] Behavior
Ornate flying snakes are diurnal, arboreal snakes. Their gliding ability, while not as impressive as that of the Paradise Flying Snake (C. paradisi), still makes them capable of moving from tree to tree with relative ease. They are excellent climbers, being able move across even the smallest of branches and even strait up trees with next to no branches by using the edges of rough bark. They tend to be nervous, fast moving snakes, and will attempt to flee if disturbed, but will not generally hesitate to bite if handled. They are mildly venomous, but the venom is not considered to be dangerous to humans. It is intended to assist in subduing fast moving, arboreal prey, like lizards and small rodents.
[edit] In captivity
In recent years, ornate flying snakes have become increasingly available in the exotic pet trade, many exported from Vietnam and neighboring countries. Instances of captive breeding are virtually unknown. Due to the species' nervous temperament and difficulty to adjusting to captivity, they tend to make poor captives for all but the most experienced reptile keepers. Many imported specimens have heavy parasite loads, and the stress of captivity all too often leads to a quick death.
[edit] References
- Genus Chrysopelea at the EMBL Reptile Database
- Flying Snake Home Page
- Boulenger, George A. 1890, The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor & Francis, London, xviii, 541 pp.
- Shaw, George 1802. General Zoology, or Systematic Natural History. Vol.3, part 1 + 2. G. Kearsley, Thomas Davison, London: 313-615
