Indonesian Bronze-back

Fascinating facts about the Indonesian Bronze-back

• Across Southeast Asian countries, from Malaysia to Singapore, the bronze-back weaves through forest canopies, proving a single species can thrive in a mosaic of tropical habitats. Its range stops short of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, where DNA work has split off a cousin species, D. proarchos, reminding us that borders on maps rarely match nature's hidden lineages.
• A head-to-tail measurement of about 118 cm (74 cm body plus 44 cm tail) means this vine snake can slip through branches the size of a dinner plate, a size that lets it hunt in the thin air of the upper canopy where many ground snakes never venture.
• The maxillary teeth count 23-26, and the eye length matches the distance from nostril to eye.
• Its scales form 15 rows, with 151-204 ventrals and 103-174 subcaudals.
• Being fully arboreal, diurnal, and oviparous, the bronze-back lives a life rhythm that syncs with the forest's daylight cycle.

At a glance

About the Indonesian Bronze-back

The Indonesian bronze-back, Dendrelaphis pictus, has an olive-brown dorsum with a yellow lateral stripe edged below by a dark line, a black stripe on each side of the head that widens into spots broken by bluish-green bands on the nape, a yellow upper lip, and a belly that is yellowish to greenish. Adults measure about 74 cm in body length with a 44 cm tail, have a rostral scale visible from above, a specific arrangement of labial and ocular scales, and 15 rows of smooth scales. It is fully arboreal and diurnal, reproduces by laying eggs, and its maxillary tooth count ranges from 23 to 26.

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