Flying Snakes of Southeast Asia

You must have heard of flying squirrels and flying monkeys, but ever heard of the flying snakes of southeast Asia? It may be difficult to believe that a snake flies through air and moves tree to tree. This featherless creature does exist in some regions of South and Southeast Asia. They are able to fly through air and travel up to a distance of 100 meters before successful landing.

The Intriguing Snakes of Southeast Asia

The Asian flying snakes belong to the genus Chrysopelea. They are members of the family Colubridae and are found to be mildly venomous in nature. These flying snakes do not pose as their venom is not found to be toxic enough for humans. These flying snakes are found inhabiting the regions from western India, Melanesian islands and the Southeast Asia. Scientists have found there are 5 species of this unique reptile.

Golden Tree Snake
The Chrysopelea ornata or the golden tree snake also called the ornate flying snake is the largest species of this unique reptile. It can reach about 4 feet in length and is pure yellow in color. However, there are color variations in these snakes like yellow to lime green in color. The snakes can also have different color markings that is orange to red in color. This makes this flying snake look beautiful and stunning creature. As it is large in size, it has been found to be a weak flyer or glider.

Paradise Tree Snake
The Chrysopelea paradisi is about 3 feet in length. It has beautiful color markings that makes it very a popular snake as pets. It has a black body that is covered with green scales. If you observe the dorsal part of the snake from its neck up to its tail you will find beautiful makings. These markings are shaped like flower petals and can be red, orange or yellow in color. This is the best flier among all the species of Asian flying snake.

Twin Barred Tree Snake
The Chrysopelea pelias is the smallest of all flying snakes. It is about 2 feet in length and is black or gray in color. There are thick red bands and thin yellow bands covering their entire body. It is very rare to spot a twin barred tree also called banded flying snake.

The other two species of Asian flying snakes include Moluccan flying snake (Chrysopelea rhodopleuron) and the Sri Lankan flying snake (Chrysopelea taprobanica). Not much is known about these species as they are not studied in detail. The flying snakes hunt lizards, frogs, birds and bats for food. They have tiny rear fangs that do not have venom potent enough to affect humans. These snakes are diurnal and therefore can hunt at day and during the night.

Flying Snakes ~ Fact or Misnomer

The flying snakes have the ability to go airborne and move through the jungles of south and southeast Asia. But, the question is how are they able to get airborne? Is it just a misnomer or reality? The answer is it is a misnomer that these snakes can fly. They do become airborne, but in reality they glide through the air. With the help of contortions of their bodies and the speed at which they throw themselves in air helps them glide through air. They slither to an end of a branch and dangle their bodies in J shape. Then, they propel themselves from the branch. The minute they do it, the body forms an S and flattens itself. This helps them to form a concave C shape of the body. If they want to take a turn, they begin to undulate the body back and forth. This is how they can glide through and appear to be flying.

These beautiful reptiles glide through the lowland tropical rainforests of south and southeast Asia. Classified as virtually harmless, these beautiful creatures are studied for their proficiency in taking advantage of rules of aerodynamics by the experts. Hope, you have learned some interesting information on Asian flying snakes from the above paragraphs.