Stats

Lifespan

6-10 yrs

Size

Medium

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

Central America

Movement

Climbing

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Rare

About

A slender, twig-like snake of Central and South American forests, so thin it can stretch its body rigid among vines to become nearly invisible. Its keyhole-shaped pupils give it unusually sharp binocular vision, letting it judge distance precisely before striking at lizards.

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.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

Genus

Oxybelis

Species

Oxybelis vittatus