Amazon Puffing Snake

Fascinating facts about the Amazon Puffing Snake

• A snake that can stretch up to 3 metres (about 9.8 ft) long, the Amazon puffing snake shows that even colubrids can become large in the rainforest.
• Its venom works on two very different targets – mammals and reptiles – meaning the same bite can immobilise a mouse and a fellow snake, a clue to how the species hunts such a varied menu.
• Juvenile puffing snakes prefer lizards, mice and rats, but adults switch to small mammals, birds and even other snakes, illustrating a dramatic shift in diet as they grow.
• First described by Wagler in 1824, the species now sits in the genus Spilotes after a taxonomic reshuffle, reminding us that scientific names can change as we learn more about evolutionary relationships.

At a glance

About the Amazon Puffing Snake

Spilotes sulphureus, the Amazon puffing snake, grows up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in total length and has bimodal venom that can affect both mammal and reptile prey. Adults feed on small mammals, birds and other snakes, while juveniles feed on lizards, mice and rats. It is found throughout South America and on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. The species was originally placed in the genus Pseustes and is now classified in the genus Spilotes.

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