Colubrids: Colubridae

Physical characteristics: A long, thin snake, the boomslang comes in a number of colors, including green, reddish, and black with yellow spots inside each of the black scales. The belly is often a creamy color. The boomslang has a large head and big eyes. Adults are about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long.

Geographic range: The boomslang lives in the central and southern regions of Africa, which is known as sub-Saharan Africa.

Habitat: This snake spends most of its time crawling among the branches of trees and shrubs in forests and grasslands.

Boomslangs spend most of their time crawling among the branches of trees and shrubs in forests and grasslands. (Bill Ruth/Bruce Coleman Inc. Reproduced by permission.)

Diet: It feeds on a variety of animals that it finds in trees and shrubs, including birds and chameleons (kuh-MEEL-yuns), a type of lizard.

Behavior and reproduction: Active during the day, the boomslang hunts for food above the ground in trees and shrubs. This snake, which has rear fangs, will bite and inject venom into prey and into attacking animals. The boomslang is an egg-laying species, and females lay about twelve eggs at a time.

Boomslangs and people: If the boomslang feels threatened, it may bite a person and inject its venom. The venom can be deadly to humans.

Conservation status: This species is not endangered or threatened. ∎