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Chrysopelea paradisi
Paradise tree snake or paradise flying snake, Chrysopelea paradisi, is a species of snake found in southeastern Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of 10 meters or more in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats. Although the flying snake does not display visible characteristics that contribute to its ability to glide, there are three aspects that have been studied and found to have great positive effects on this. Their form of takeoff which is most commonly the anchored J-loop take-off, once airborne their cross sectional body is shaped into a triangle and their bodies use an aerial undulation to maximize the distance traveled
hanging out on the warm pavement at the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore where there is a ton of vegetation and water features.
Chrysopelea
Spotted on Aug 26, 2018
Submitted on May 30, 2021
5 Comments
thanks I_munasinghe!
Mr.Mann, so there was a suggestion for this one, as "Paradise Tree Snake", Chrysopelea paradisi.
Thanks i_munasinghe for the feedback on the process. I will look forward to maybe hearing some more from your expert friends. I have a new job now, so I am afraid that I may not get back to Si Lanka again anytime soon, but I hope things are OK there with the pandemic and political trouble. My driver/guide that I used every time I came wrote me to say that it all bankrupted his tour business--so sad. BTW I am Mr Mann (Stuart), Jazz is just for my love of that type of music.
Thank you so much for your kind comments Jazz, actually I'm also not sure if there is a way to notify when someone is replying to a comment or a suggestion. But when I'm curious about it, I check the post again to see if anyone has replied. Also, I'm not much of an expert when it comes to reptiles and birds, but I'm more than happy to share these with my local community specialists and if I'm able to find a clue, I'll suggest it here soon! And again, amazing collection Mr.Jazz, it's lovely to see all your spottings!
I am having trouble distinguishing if this is a Chrysopelea ornata (golden tree snake, gliding snake, ornate flying snake, golden flying snake, gold and black tree snake, flying tree snake) OR if this is a Chrysopelea paradisi (Paradise tree snake, paradise flying snake)