TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Colubridae (Colubrids)
Genus/species: Langaha madagascariensis
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Displays striking sexual dimorphism: male has a pointed snout and body with contrasting coloration; female has leaf-shaped snout and is uniformly dark brown.
female below
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Endemic to Madagascar. Found at low elevations in much of the island. It is arboreal, living on and in vines.
female below
DIET IN THE WILD: Lizards Primarily ambush predators, rather than active foragers although it has been observed chasing skinks on the ground. Usually vertical ‘hanging’ behavior as adults, mimicking the seed pods of Malagasy plants (and perhaps deter predation, though by what predator is unclear).
male below
REPRODUCTION: Egg laying.
CONSERVATION: ICUN Red list Least Concern (LC)
Wide distribution and presumed large overall population, make it unlikely to decline fast enough to qualify for a more threatened category.
REMARKS: Venomous; bites can produce severe local pain and swelling that may last for several days. Colubrids tend to chew when they bite, further envenomating and infecting the site.
Madagascar Rainforest MA03
References
California Academy of Sciences Rainforest Docent Training Manual 2014
Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/794161/details
Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/8599840662/in/set-72157620708610230/
Ron’s WordPress shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1rx
