The Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) is a slender, arboreal snake found across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It has a striking appearance, with a bright green body, yellowish underside, and a reddish or brick-red tail. The head is long and pointed, with large eyes suited for its diurnal lifestyle. This species primarily inhabits lowland forests, mangroves, and plantations, where it hunts birds, eggs, and small mammals.
Red-tailed Green Ratsnake
Gonyosoma oxycephalum
🐍 Non-venomous
Description
Venomous?
Non-venomous. It subdues prey through constriction rather than venom.
A Danger to Humans?
Generally not dangerous to humans, but it can be defensive if handled or threatened, often striking quickly and releasing a musky odor. Its bite can be painful but harmless.
Population Size
Stable
Life Span
-
WEIGHT
30.5 g
LENGTH
Average total length 1.6 m, maximal 2.4 m
Ar
Arboreal
Ca
Carnivore
Di
Diurnal
Classification
KINGDOM
:
Animalia
PHYLUM
:
Chordata
CLASS
:
Reptilia
ORDER
:
Squamata
FAMILY
:
Colubridae
GENUS
:
Gonyosoma
SPECIES
:
Gonyosoma oxycephalum
Distribution
In Bali it is known to be in plantation areas with high rainfall at an altitude of 100 to 1400 m above sea level. Elsewhere there are rainforests, montane forests, mangroves, swamps, and gardens.
Geography
Continent : Asia
Country : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Southeast Asia, Kalimantan, Philippines, and Indonesia from Sumatra to Lombok.
Habits and Lifestyle
The Red-tailed Green Ratsnake lives and spends most of its time in trees and in tree holes. Rarely drops to the ground. If this Snake is disturbed, it can widen the air sacs around its neck, making it look bigger. In defense, it has an ‘attitude’ and can attack or bite. Very unpredictable and can change over time but capable of becoming benign through good handling.
Lifestyle
Arboreal
Biome
Rain forest, mangrove forest, swamps
Climate Zone
Tropical
Diet and Nutrition
The Red-tailed Green Ratsnake mostly prey on birds, bird eggs and bats. This snake catches its prey flying as it slithers between tree branches. In captivity, it can be trained to eat mice.
Nutrition : Carnivora
Mating Habits
The Red-tailed Racer reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4 years, and its eggs will hatch in 13 to 16 weeks. Females usually lay 3 to 8 eggs between September and January and the chicks are about 45 cm (18 inches) long.
Reproduction session : September and January
Incubation periods : 13 until 16 weeks
Independent age : at birth
Baby name : –
Baby carrying : 3 – 8 eggs
Population
Population status : Least Concern (LC)
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
Population threats
There appears to be no major threat to this widespread and adaptable species. The scale of exploitation may not be large enough to threaten this species across home ranges, although the effects of harvesting on local subpopulations are unclear.
Population number
No major threats have been identified and there appears to be no impact on the overall population from current levels of exploitation, these snakes occur in a number of protected areas, and are tolerant of this level of habitat modification. So that it is included in the IUCN Red List with the category of little attention.
PHOTO GALLERY
Reference
- Gonyosoma oxycephalum on The IUCN Red List site
- Gonyosoma oxycephalum Wikipedia article
- Somaweera, R. 2017. A Naturalist’s Guide To The Reptiles and Amphibians of Bali. John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford, England.
- McKay, J.L. 2006. Reptil and Amphibi di Bali. Krieger Publishing Company, Florida, USA.