The Star of the Month April : the Bird Snake
My name is thelotornis capensis, also called african twig snake or bird snake.
I’m close to the boomslang.
I have horizontal pupils, shaped like keyholes, which is quite rare among snakes. This gives me a good binocular vision. Binocular vision helps to precisely evaluate distances, which is important for species like me who move amongst branches or have to stretch their bodies to reach preys on leaves.
My tongue is red, my head is narrow and flat and my snout is pointed…
I’m greyish-brown and my ability to freeze or sway gently like a chameleon makes me hard to spot… Just ask my human friends from Mikembo who, if I hadn’t move, would have mistaken me for a branch fallen from a tree!
Please don’t bother me because my venom is hemotoxic (affect blood circulation) and very active on humans…
If you see me lift my head and inflate my throat to display bold markings between my scales, it means that I’m scared and that it’s safer that our paths separate!
I feed on lizards, frogs, and sometimes birds.