Royal Tree Snake

Colubrid Snakes (Rear-fanged & Non-venomous)

Gonyophis margaritatus

Basic stats

Venom

Non-venomous

Diet

Lizards, other small vertebrates

Habitat

Canopy and mid-storey forest

Range

Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia

Clutch size

4–8 eggs (typical for arboreal colubrids)

Incubation period

About 70–90 days (typical for arboreal colubrids)

Size

Slender, medium-large (up to 1.5m)

Weight

~150–300g

A strikingly beautiful, iridescent tree snake with a pattern of pale spots on a dark, shimmering body — considered a highlight sighting by many visiting herpetologists given how rarely it is encountered.

Diurnal and arboreal, hunting lizards and other small vertebrates in the canopy and mid-storey, non-venomous and generally elusive.

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