Fun Green Cat Snake Facts For Kids
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Did you know that snakes are mysterious and elusive creatures? So often misunderstood, but this fascinating species is an integral part of our ecosystem. There are innumerable captivating and fascinating facts about the different snake species, including their appearance, behavior, habits, and habitat. One of the unique snakes is the green cat snake. Its scientific name is Boiga cyanea.
The snake Boiga cyanea belongs to the family- Colubridae. The green cat snake is found in Southern Thailand, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, and more. The green cat snake is a long and thin green snake with a tight body.
It is overall green or green mixed with bluish or grayish. The golden-brown eyes are large, and the pupils are vertical.
The chin and throat region are bluish-white. The upper lip is yellowish-green, and the inside portion of the mouth is black. The young snakes are red or brown with green heads.
The Boiga cyanea are terrestrial, nocturnal (come out at night), and arboreal. They dwell in low to high bushes. The B. cyanea is shy and usually non-offensive. Learn more about this fascinating creature. Also, read about other snake species like the black boa and the glossy crayfish snake.
Green Cat Snake Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a green cat snake?
Boiga cyanea is found in flatlands. They have an extensive distribution in the bushes and trees of the forest regions. It is a terrestrial, arboreal, and nocturnal (usually comes out at night) snake. They are usually seen on the ground to hunt.
The B. cyanea has a very mediocre temperament and is slow-moving. It does not attempt to escape even when approached or handled.
What class of animal does a green cat snake belong to?
The green-eyed cat snake is a reptile and a species of cat snake. It belongs to the class Reptilia and the family Colubridae. Other popular snaked from the Colubridae family include the vine snakes and boomslang.
How many green cat snakes are there in the world?
The exact number of Boiga cyanea is unknown, but it has an extensive distribution in Asia. There are around 1760 species of colubrids. The Boiga has a wide distribution covering around two-thirds of the world's snakes.
It is estimated that there are 3000 different types of snakes in the world. Around 600 of them are venomous, and 200 of them are critically acclaimed. They are known as the non-venomous snakes of Southern Thailand.
Where does a green cat snake live?
The Boiga cyanea live in the bushes and trees. They are excellent climbers. Its distribution extends throughout East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The green cat snake is found in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Southern Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.
What is a green cat snake's habitat?
The Boiga cyanea habitat comprises terrestrial and arboreal. They inhabit the primary and secondary forests, including montane zones, or are found at sea level in coastal forests. In their natural habitat, they can adapt to high humidity.
They are also found coiled up in the tree branches or tree holes or the forks of tree branches during the daytime. These brightly colored snakes are nocturnal. It actively hunts down creatures like the geckos or small lizards, birds, and small rodents at night.
The habitat of Boiga cyanea also comprises low shrubs and as well as taller trees. It is found at both sea level and altitudes up to 2100 m. Mostly, found close to the water and in and around vegetative growth areas. The coloration of green cat eye snakes gives them exceptional camouflage, making them challenging to find them.
Who do green cat snakes live with?
The Boiga cyanea live alone or in pairs.
How long does a green cat snake live?
The lifespan of the cyan-jawed cat snakes is not mentioned. However, its similar species, the mangrove snake, is expected to live for 12-20 years.
How do they reproduce?
The Boiga cyanea are oviparous. The mating season occurs from late winters to late summers.
The eggs are laid 42-50 days after copulation. It lays around 7-14 eggs. The incubation period of the eggs is 85 days.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of the Boiga cyanea is Not Evaluated (NE).
Green Cat Snake Fun Facts
What do green cat snakes look like?
The Boiga cyanea is medium size in length with a long tail. Its length is 74.80 in (190 cm). It is slightly compressed for a medium-sized snake.
The head is differentiated from the neck with a round snout. Eyes are golden brown and more prominent in size with vertically elliptical pupils. Dorsal scales are smooth and have single or double-pointed pits.
The ventrals comprise the weak lateral underside. Its grasping tail makes it a complete arboreal animal. The dorsal color of the cyan-jawed cat snakes is completely green or mixed green with bluish or grayish coloring.
The underside is greenish or yellowish with white. The head coloring is similar to that of the dorsal but sometimes has a brownish shade. The upper lip is yellowish.
However, the young ones look different. They have a green head with a brown or red body.
The upper lips are yellow, and the inside of the mouth is black. Its length starts to grow after eight to nine months of age, and the color of hatchlings starts to change after eight to nine months as well. The eyes are large and look like they are bulging out of the body.
How cute are they?
Although the Boiga cyanea snakes are vibrant in appearance, they are not cute. They look deadly. It is a medium-sized snake, but the body is compressed. The eyes are big with upright pupils. Dorsal scales are uniformly green or mixed green with a bluish-grayish shade. The underside of the body is yellowish or greenish with white.
How do they communicate?
Snakes use their vision to track down their enemy. When they observe a prey within their range, they camouflage and curve their body. Once the prey approaches, it straightens out its body at once, allowing its head to reach the prey and grasp it.
Although they have good eyesight, they usually depend on their sense of smell. The B cyanea use chemical cues or odors via their vomeronasal organ, also known as Jacobson's in other snakes. Also, it is believed they depend on sound as well. The snakes are known to make hissing sounds.
How big is a green cat snake?
The size of the Boiga cyanea snake is 74.80 in (190 cm) length. Its length is four times smaller than a mangrove snake.
How fast can a green cat snake move?
The speed of the Boiga cyanea is not mentioned. However, it is known to move slowly and swiftly.
How much does a green cat snake weigh?
The weight of the Boiga cyanea is not mentioned. However, it weighs less than the mangrove snake.
What are the male and female names of the species?
The female species are called female green cat snakes, and the males are known as male green cat snakes.
What would you call a baby green cat snake?
The baby green cat snake is known as a snakelet.
What do they eat?
The habitat of the Boiga cyanea comprises primary and secondary forests. It is a carnivorous snake and feeds mainly on lizards, birds, crows, frogs, rodents, and other snakes. It can paralyze small creatures with its rear-fanged and mildly poisonous fang. Consequently, they usually go out at night for hunting their food.
Are they poisonous?
The Boiga cyanea is a mildly venomous snake. It is slightly poisonous and has a neurotoxic venom which is not much effective to humans. However, if threatened, they might coil up their body and come forward with their mouth open. It continues to strike, repeatedly vibrating its tail.
The poison of cyan-jawed cat snakes is slightly similar to that of other Boigas. However, its poison is weaker than other Boigas like Boiga dendrophila.
A bite from a Boiga cyanea does not cause any severe effect on humans. Its bite does not get worse than a bee sting.
But it can be dangerous to a person who has an allergic reaction to the bite. Since the teeth of the Boiga cyanea are present at the back of the throat, and you usually don't come in contact with those teeth.
Would they make a good pet?
No, the Boiga cyanea would not make a good pet; it might be dangerous sometimes. However, in many Asian countries like in the villages in Thailand, they keep them as a pet.
The Boiga cyanea is a rear-fanged snake and is a mildly venomous snake with a neurotoxic venom effect. They are harmless to humans. But if threatened, they might come forward with its head and bite you.
Did you know...
Snakes have nostrils, but they are known to pick up the scent of a nearby prey or a predator through their tongue. So when a snake flicks its tongue, it's trying to collect the scent present in minute moisture particles present in the air.
Snakes don't like scents like cinnamon, cloves, garlic, onions, lime, and smoke. You can use oils or sprays that have these fragrances to get rid of them.
The snake which has green eyes is Matilda. The latest discovery of snake species with a deadly look. The eyes are green, and it has yellow and black scales and has two spiky horns.
Green cat snake bites
Yes, the Boiga cyanea does bite if threatened or provoked. But the bite from the Boiga cyanea does not cause severe effects. It is slightly poisonous and possesses a neurotoxic venom that is not that dangerous to humans. Its bite might cause small and local secondary infections like local bruising, numbness, and bleeding.
While most cases are minor, they might be severe with allergic reactions and might need to go to the hospital and take proper medical care.
Naming the green cat snake
The cat-eyed snake is under the genus Boiga. It is named after the vertical pupils it has similar to that of the cats. However, the Boiga Cyanea don't have green eyes.
The other names of Boiga cyanea are green cat snake, green-eyed snake, and cyan-jawed cat snake.
There are around 35 different species of cat snakes, each of them has its unique characteristics. Many of these snake species are venomous, and some are mildly poisonous. The mildly poisonous ones are less dangerous to humans.
Other snakes that come under the Boiga are Andaman cat snake, Leyte cat snake, Beddome's cat snake, Blanding's tree snake, Barnes' cat snake, Sri Lanka cat snake, dog-toothed cat snake, mangrove snake, and so on.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles from our eastern brown snake facts and monitor lizard surprising facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Green cat snake coloring pages.
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