Neo-tropical Bird eating snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus)
Yesterday, 13th June 24 we had this snake close by the house. I had just come down the stairs and was looking into the garden when I saw the snake about 2 meters in front of me and was startled, just like her. It then slithered away very quickly, I was surprised at how fast snakes can be. We then got our cameras and found it lying in the grass about 10 meters away. After a while, it moved away slowly and then again at greater speed. Our neighbor, the herpetologist, commented on the picture we sent him with:
„Nice! That is a Neo-tropical Bird eating snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus) they are not venomous, but usually have quite a temper. They mostly eat birds and bird eggs, so they are used to stand their ground (birds is one of the main predators of snakes). So they are often pretty defensive and will try to bite. But they are also day active colubrids, that move around and usually don’t stay for a long time in the same spot. So usually they will move along, without the need to confront them”
And here you can find a small video:
https://youtu.be/pztYdO1R05Q