Stats

Lifespan

6-10 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Tropical dry forest

Range

Central America

Movement

Climbing

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Rare

About

A slender, twig-mimicking colubrid of Central and South American forests, with an elongated pointed snout that lets it blend seamlessly into vines and branches while it hunts lizards and frogs by day. It relies on this near-invisible camouflage rather than speed or venom potency to ambush prey and evade predators.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   hatchling

   A miniature snake emerges from the egg or from its mother (live-bearers), already venomous or strong-coiled in some species.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A juvenile sheds its skin, grows quickly, and hunts smaller prey than the adults.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult length and pattern.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

Genus

Oxybelis

Species

Oxybelis koehleri