North Philippine Temple Pitviper

About the North Philippine Temple Pitviper

The Bornean keeled green pit viper or North Philippine temple pit viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) is a pit viper species native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Until 2007, this species was considered part of the Tropidolaemus wagleri species complex.

The Borneo Keeled Green Pit Viper can have a range of colors but generally it is bright green with numerous thin crossbands. Some localities have a mixture of light green to blue background colors. The bands are variable and can be a combination of blue, red or white. Females may have blue or red dots on their underbelly, while juveniles and males only have red dots. Females are much larger than males and can grow to a maximum size of 96 cm, while males can reach a size of 46 cm. This species is one of the most common species encountered in the lowland rainforests of Borneo. It is known to eat birds, small mammals and frogs. It is ovoviparous and gives birth to live young.

This species is arboreal, with a prehensile tail. It can be found in low level vegetation up to a height of 20m. Like many other arboreal snakes, this species has a disrupted green color to allow it excellent camouflage in the... Wikipedia →