Philothamnus semivariegatus

Philothamnus semivariegatus, commonly known as the spotted bush snake is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake, endemic to Africa.

Philothamnus semivariegatus
In South Africa. Adult (top), hatchlings (bottom)
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Philothamnus
Species:	P. semivariegatus
Binomial name
Philothamnus semivariegatus (A. Smith, 1840)
Synonyms
Dendrophis (Philothamnus) semivariegata A. Smith, 1840 Ahætulla semivariegata — Günther, 1863 Philothamnus semivariegatus — Boulenger, 1894[2]

Geographic range

P. semivariegatus is distributed from South Africa northward to Sudan, Uganda and from Guinea eastward to Tanzania and sited at Nigeria.^[3]

Description

The colour is bright green with black speckles. Average snout to vent length (SVL) is 60–90 cm (24–35 in).

Eating a tropical house gecko.

Biology

Spotted bush snakes are mostly found in trees in bush and forest areas, where they hunt lizards and treefrogs. They are also known to devour chameleons and dwarfs. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, have very good eyesight, and are highly alert snakes. They are not territorial, and will roam great distances in search for food. Spotted bush snakes are very common and completely harmless. They are well camouflaged, naturally very nervous, and quick to escape from any potential threat. As such, suburban sightings are rare.

In captivity

They can be very difficult to keep in captivity, being very nervous and reluctant to feed on anything but sympatric gecko species, but they are occasionally kept and bred successfully. ^[4]

Reproduction

Females can lay between 3 and 12 elongate eggs every summer, and each hatchling is about 25 cm (9.8 in) in total length (including tail).