Scientific name
Chrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802)
Alternate names
New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, Bockadam snake
Order
Squamata
Family
Colubridae
IUCN Read List Category
Least Concern
Distinguishing Morphological Features
It is usually green in color, with black cross-hatching and yellow or gold colored accents. The body, though slender, is far less so than in other tree snakes. It has a flattened head with constricted neck, a blunt nose and large eyes with round pupils. The lateral, sharp and pronounced keeled condition
of the ventrals in association with the normal, not enlarged, vertebral row of
scales distinguish this snake.
Biology
This diurnal, arboreal species occurs in a variety of habitats ranging from evergreen, semi evergreen hill forest, tropical dry deciduous forests,
plantations, and human modified environments, generally with at least some
standing forest. It can even be found in urban areas, where it has been found
in houses. It feeds on frogs, lizards and smaller birds and bats.
Locality
Not available
Distribution
India (Gujarat, Kerala, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland), Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan,Myanmar Thailand, West Malaysia (incl. Pulau
Tioman, Tuba Island), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam,China (Hainan, Yunnan,
Fujian),Philippines