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Text and photos by Nick Baker, unless otherwise stated

 EcologyAsia 2008
Copyright ©
 
 
     

 

 
   
Painted Bronzeback
   

Resting by night amongst palm leaves.  Portsdown Road, Singapore.
 


Active by day along the margins of a freshwater stream, Central Catchment Forest, Singapore.
 


Photographed at Taman Negara, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.

 

Family : COLUBRIDAE
Species: Dendrelaphis pictus
Maximum Size : Over one metre

 References : H1, H2

 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
  Devouring a Copper-cheeked Frog Rana chalconata.
The entire process took just
1 minute 16 seconds.

A widespread and common species, the Painted Bronzeback can be found in a variety of habitats including scrub, secondary forest, back-beach habitats as well as parks and gardens. It is active by day, searching for its food prey - mainly lizards and frogs. Nervous in disposition, it will flee swiftly when threatened or disturbed.

The species is identified by its bronze head, black eye-stripe and mask, and black and cream lateral stripes along the length of the body. When threatened it will inflate its body slightly to reveal bluish or turquoise skin underlying the body scales.

The species ranges from southern China, through Indochina and Thailand, to Peninsular Malaysia, the larger islands of Indonesia and the Philippines.