Chrysopelea paradisi

Paradise flying snake
File:Chrysopelea paradisi (6032067972).jpg
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Chrysopelea
Species:	C. paradisi
Binomial name
Chrysopelea paradisi Boie, 1827

Paradise tree snake or Paradise flying snake, Chrysopelea paradisi, is a species of snake found in southeastern Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of about 100 metres in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats.

Distribution

Thailand (incl. Phuket), Indonesia (Bangka, Belitung, Java, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Nias, Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, We, Borneo, Sulawesi), Brunei Darussalam; India (Andaman Islands), Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia); Myanmar (Burma); Philippine Islands (including Sulu Archipelago, Negros Oriental, Panay, Luzon); Singapore; Race celebensis: Indonesia (Sulawesi).

Race variabilis: Philippine Islands (including Sulu Archipelago)

References

• Boie, F. 1827 Bemerkungen über Merrem's Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien, 1. Lieferung: Ophidier. Isis van Oken, Jena, 20: 508–566.

External links

• Data related to Chrysopelea paradisi at Wikispecies
• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Chrysopelea paradisi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
• Flying snake home page by Jake Socha
• C. paradisi at Thailand Snakes.
• Flying Snake Video w/additional info.
• Research related article.