Philothamnus semivariegatus

Philothamnus semivariegatus
	Philothamnus semivariegatus, Soutpansberg, South Africa
	Spotted Bush Snake hatchlings
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Philothamnus
Species:	P. semivariegatus
Binomial name
	Philothamnus semivariegatus; (A. Smith, 1840)
Synonyms
	Dendrophis (Philothamnus) semivariegata A. Smith, 1840; Ahætulla semivariegata ; — Günther, 1863; Philothamnus semivariegatus ; — Boulenger, 1894[1];

Philothamnus semivariegatus, commonly known as the spotted bush snake is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake, endemic to Africa.

Geographic range

P. semivariegatus is distributed from South Africa northward to Sudan,Uganda and from Guinea eastward to Tanzania.[2]

Description

The colour is bright green with black speckles. Average snout to vent length (SVL) is 60–90 cm (24–35 in).

Biology

Spotted bush snakes are mostly found in trees in bush and forest areas, where they hunt lizards and treefrogs. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, have very good eyesight, and are highly alert snakes. They are not territorial, and will roam great distances in search for food. Spotted bush snakes are very common and completely harmless. They are well camouflaged, naturally very nervous, and quick to escape from any potential threat. As such, suburban sightings are rare.

In captivity

They can be very difficult to keep in captivity, being very nervous and reluctant to feed on anything but sympatric gecko species, but they are occasionally kept and bred successfully. [3]

Reproduction

Females can lay between 3 and 12 elongate eggs every summer, and each hatchling is about 25 cm (9.8 in) in total length (including tail).

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References

Boulenger GA. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I- XX. (Philothamnus semivariegatus, pp. 99-100).
The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
https://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/894788-notes-captive-care-african-bush.html

Branch, Bill. 1988. Field Guide to the Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. ISBN 0-86977-641-X.