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We try to provide interesting facts about a wide variety of snakes and lizards on this website. That’s because they are all interesting in their own ways. Today, I would like to share some facts about one of my favorite species, the mangrove snake.

Mangrove Snake Classification: Family and Species

The mangrove snake is a member of the Squamata order, which includes all lizards and snakes on the planet. Breaking it down further, it is a member of the Colubridae family and the Boiga genus. There are 34 recognized species within the Boiga genus, of which the mangrove snake is one. Its species name is Boiga dendrophila.

As mentioned, this snake is a member of the Colubridae family. This is the largest family of snakes and includes more than 9,000 individual species. Unlike most colubrids, however, the mangrove snake is mildly venomous. Most of the other species within this family are non-venomous. This is one of many interesting facts about this particular species.

Distribution and Habitat

The mangrove snake can be found in humid habitats across much of Asia. They occur naturally in Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries in the region.

These snakes usually inhabit rain forests and mangrove swamps. They are commonly found around the outer edges of rain forests, as opposed to deep into the center. They prefer to hunt among trees and bushes found alongside rivers and streams.

Mangrove Snake Appearance and Identification

The picture below shows a typical mangrove snake. This specimen is indicative of the general appearance for this species. Note the glossy, lustrous scales and yellow bands. Those are the key identifying characteristics for this species.

Photo: Mangrove snake at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Enlarge

This snake has large eyes with vertical pupils. The body is tightly compressed and covered with smooth, glossy scales. This gives the snake a satiny and shiny appearance.

Mangrove snakes typically have narrow but brightly colored yellow bands that extend down the length of the body. The scales along the lips are also yellow in most cases. This gives the head a beautiful and striking (pun intended) black-over-yellow coloration. No other genus has this unique coloration.

The closeup photo above shows the beautiful yellow-and-black colors of Boiga dendrophila’s head, jaw and neck area.

Biology Facts, Habits and Behaviors

It is a fact that the mangrove snake is mildly venomous. This makes it different from other species found within the Colubridae family, most of which are non-venomous. It is a rear-fanged snake, which means that it injects venom from rear fangs instead of front fangs (like a rattlesnake or other type of viper).

The mangrove snake is an excellent climber and spends much of its time among the tree branches and foliage that overhang rivers and streams. It is an active hunter that pursues food, typically at night.

The mangrove snake will readily eat a wide variety of animals, including various species of lizards, frogs, birds, small mammals, and even other snakes. Its venom acts fairly quickly to immobilize its prey, following a bite. It will then swallow the prey animal whole without chewing, as with most other types of snakes.

While the mangrove snake is mildly venomous, it is not considered to be life-threatening to humans. There are no documented cases of a human dying from the bite of this particular species. Interesting fact: Scientists are finding pharmacological properties in the venom of this and other venomous snake species.

The females of this species are oviparous, which means that they lay eggs. A healthy female can lay 7 to 10 eggs per clutch. After an incubation period of about 3 months, the eggs will hatch and babies will emerge.

I hope you have enjoyed this collection of mangrove snake facts and pictures. I encourage you to learn more about this interesting species, as well as other types of reptiles. You’ll quickly learn that they are amazing animals worthy of our respect and awareness.

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