Spotted Bush Snake
- Philothamnus semivariegatus
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Threat: unconfirmed
- Venom/Toxin: none
- Trend: unconfirmed
General Information
Spotted Bush Snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus) is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake, endemic to Africa.
Description
The colour is bright green with black speckles. Average snout to vent length (SVL) is 60–90 cm.
Ecology & Behaviour
Spotted bush snakes are mostly found in trees in bush and forest areas, where they hunt lizards and treefrogs. They are also known to devour chameleons and dwarfs. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, have very good eyesight, and are highly alert snakes. They are not territorial, and will roam great distances in search for food. Spotted bush snakes are very common and completely harmless. They are well camouflaged, naturally very nervous, and quick to escape from any potential threat. As such, suburban sightings are rare.
This diurnal, usually arboreal snake is widely distributed in coastal bush, acacia woodland, moist and dry savannah and semi-desert (Spawls et al. 2002).
Diet
The diet consists mostly of lizards (Trape and Mané 2006).
Reproduction
Females can lay between 3 and 12 elongate eggs every summer, and each hatchling is about 25 cm in total length (including tail).
Distribtion & Habitat
P. semivariegatus is distributed from South Africa northward to Sudan, Uganda and from Guinea eastward to Tanzania and sited at Nigeria.
Interaction With Humans
They can be very difficult to keep in captivity, being very nervous and reluctant to feed on anything but sympatric gecko species, but they are occasionally kept and bred successfully.
References
Share:
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Squamata
- Suborder: Serpentes
- Family: Colubridae
- Genus: Philothamnus
