Wagleri's Pit Viper or Temple Pit Viper

Description:

Tropidolaemus wagleri is a venomous Pit Viper species native to South East Asia, however, it is a non-agressive snake. No subspecies are currently recognized. It is sometimes referred to as the temple viper because of its abundance around a Taoist Temple in Penang (my home town), Malaysia. This species has undergone much taxonomic reclassification over the years and was previously placed in the genus Trimeresurus. However, their distinctly different morphology and venom characteristics set them apart, so that eventually a new genus was erected in which they were placed together with Hutton's viper, Tropidolaemus huttoni. This species is sexually dimorphic: the females grow to approximately 1 m (39⅜ inches) in total length, while males typically do not exceed 75 cm (29½ inches). They have a large triangular-shaped head, with a relatively thin body. They are almost entirely arboreal, and the tail is prehensile to aid in climbing. They are found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, often referred to as "phases". In the past, some researchers classified the different phases as subspecies. The phases vary greatly from having a black or brown coloration as a base, with orange and yellow banding to others having a light green as the base color, with yellow or orange banding, and many variations therein.

Notes:

This was probably the most photographed Snake in Mulu National Park. It was resting at some plants just 20 meters away from the Park Headquarters and every group signing up for a hike will be shown this Snake as they start their tour! Pit Viper usually stays and rest at the same places/tree for weeks and this one was at the same branch the whole duration of 5 days I was at Mulu National Park.