Ahaetulla prasina (Reinwardt, 1827)
Jade Vine Snake 綠瘦蛇
(Mildly venomous)
* Photos taken in the Philippines
Suborder
Serpentes 蛇亞目
Ventrals light green and notched.
A pale yellow stripe on either side of belly.
Head leaf-shaped with long pointed snout. Eye pupil horizontal, with binocular vision.
Tail prehensile (adapted for grasping) and very long, accounting for about one-third of total length.
Tropical Forest; Arboreal, perching on trees or bushes.
Vine-like body and
green colouration make it invisible in thick vegetation.
Excellent climber; Prehensile tail allows a firm grip.
Sometime sway from side to side to mimic a twig in the wind.
Can move swiftly among branches to escape.
When alarmed, inflates the forepart of the body, showing the bluish and black skin for a threat display.
Will strike, but sometimes with the mouth closed.
Binocular vision enables the snake to judge the distance accurately, and strike on preys more effectively.
Status in Hong Kong is uncertain.
Only known from two old preserved specimens from Shek Kwu Chau Medical Centre in 1988, with no data.
The scale count of the Shek Kwu Chau specimens is much higher that of Chinese populations of this species,
but is within the range of Southeast Asian populations.
Lazell (2002) published a new subspecies
Ahaetulla prasina medioxima based on this single specimen.
No further specimen has been found in Hong Kong. Further records are required to clarify its status.
Occurs in central and southern China, south and southeast Asia to Indonesia.
Reference: Lazell, J.D. 2002. The herpetofauna of Shek Kwu Chau, South Chinese Sea, with descriptions of two new colubrid snakes. Memoirs of the Hong Kong Natural History Society 25: 82
