Identification:
The tree snake is a common and well-known species in Southeast Asia. Key features include a coppery-colored back and head, with black stripes running down the neck. The scales on the body have yellow or cream-colored stripes, bordered above and below by black lines. The sides of the head and chin are white. Blue spots are present along the body when it stretches to breathe or to intimidate. The belly is a bright yellow or pale greenish-yellow.
The body length is 460 mm, with a tail length of 730 mm. The head is distinctly separate from the neck. The eyes are large with round pupils. There are long supralabials. The temporal scales are 1+1+2. There are 9 infralabials on each side, with the 4th, 5th, and 6th touching the eye. There are 10 sublabials, with the first 5 touching the first chin shields. There are 15 rows of smooth, oblique body scales; the vertebral scales are hexagonal and larger than the adjacent scales. There are 187 ventral scales and 154-155 paired subcaudal scales. Both the ventral and subcaudal scales have prominent keels on either side.
Biology and Ecology:
This beautiful reptile often inhabits diverse natural environments in lowlands and hills up to at least 1,300 meters in elevation. They are primarily active at night. It is a non-venomous snake to humans. Their main diet consists of lizards, tree frogs, and rice field frogs. Females lay 2-10 eggs; newborn snakes are approximately 25 cm long. Within the Dendrelaphis genus in Vietnam, three species are differentiated as follows:
- Dendrelaphis pictus: Possesses two subocular scales and a white stripe on the side.
- Dendrelaphis ngansonensis: Possesses two subocular scales; lacks a white stripe on the side.
- Dendrelaphis subocularis: Possesses one subocular scale.
Distribution:
Vietnam: Cao Bằng (Ngân Sơn), Lai Châu, Lào Cai (Thái Niên, Sapa), Bắc Thái (Kí Phí), Lạng Sơn, Vĩnh Phú, Quảng Ninh (Cẩm Phả), Ninh Bình (Cúc Phương), Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Nam Đà Nẵng, Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hòa, Sông Bé, Đồng Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Kiên Giang, Minh Hải.
Worldwide: This snake is widely distributed throughout tropical Asia, including China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Status:
The population of this species remains relatively large, although their habitat is primarily undisturbed forest environments.