Stats

Lifespan: 8-12 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical dry forest
Range: North America
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Rare

About

A slender, needle-nosed vine snake of Mexican thornscrub, its narrow head and elongated body let it blend seamlessly into tangled branches while it hunts lizards by sight. Its tiny eyes give it the species name 'microphthalmus,' meaning small-eyed.

Life cycle

1.
hatchling
A miniature snake emerges from the egg or from its mother (live-bearers), already venomous or strong-coiled in some species.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile sheds its skin, grows quickly, and hunts smaller prey than the adults.
3.
adult
Fully grown at adult length and pattern.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Oxybelis
Species: Oxybelis microphthalmus