Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta)

Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta)

The Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) is a master of camouflage. Its slender body is almost impossible to pick out in the thick vegetation of forest. It takes patience and practice to find this snake but once you have the technique down, you start to see them everywhere. Green Vines are diurnal, so as soon as it gets dark they curl up on a plant and go to sleep. In the dark, they are a lot easier to see by torch light.

The Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) relies on its colour to camouflage itself from prey and predator. Common at Sanjay Gandhi National Park & Matheran, they are often seen waiting patiently for prey to come along. They have been known to feed on other snakes and small birds too. They are mildly venomous to humans. When agitated, however, the snake reveals a lot more colors. It breaks into a checkerboard pattern and opens its mouth wide trying to scare away the intruder. When the threat passes by, they swiftly move through the branches to a more secure location.


But unfortunately this beautiful species of snake is under the grave danger of illegal wildlife trafficking. This snake species is unlawfully possessed, handled and transported by so called snake rescuers and wildlife photographers who carry them in bottles and mishandle them for the selfish purpose of photography.