| 1 | Green vine snake |
A mildly venomous species which has only a couple of confirmed bites to its name. Green vine snakes inhabit a swathe of South America, from Peru to Suriname. Green vine snakes appear in forests and along forest edges, never in the big city, and rarely in someone’s bedroom. On a rocky hillside, the green vine snake would be lost and confused. In the open ocean, they’d be flooded with sea salt and dehydrate within hours. But on tree branches, they’re the undisputed master.
Green vine snakes are completely fluent in the world of tree branches, slithering onto the next one without even thinking. Their confidence is justified, as they can weave along even the thinnest branches without weighing them down, like a tightrope walker.
Green vine snakes prey on reptiles such as giant ameivas, which they’re capable of hunting on branches several metres above ground. Their body is exceptionally thin, one of the thinnest in Brazil relative to length. They’re nimble and agile, and all these features combine to grant them access to branches a South American bushmaster couldn’t dream of crossing.
| 2 | Vogel’s pitviper |
One of over a dozen green pitvipers guarding the forests of Thailand. Vogel’s pitviper (Trimeresurus vogeli) can be found in southeast Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Their hunting strategy is to wait patiently for days on a tree branch, absorbing themselves into the foliage.
Vogel’s pitviper has a specific branch height: 1.5-3 metres high. But branch thickness is completely irrelevant, for Vogel’s pitviper can rest on the thinnest, spindliest branches that are just begging to be snapped. At 80-110cm, and moderate thickness, Vogel’s pitviper’s aren’t ultra-light, but they possess the fine-tuned instincts of balance. They can also strike from super-thin branches without losing their balance, striking villagers’ arms and shoulders.
Vogel’s pitvipers can be found on thick arms, insignificant fingers, and on tops of bushes. As usual, their camouflage is immense. If they’re blending into a green background of forest foliage, you’re doomed. If they’re blending into a black background of midnight sky, you’ll probably be OK. Pure luck can determine whether you survive an encounter with a Vogel’s pitviper. Vogel himself wasn’t a mad scientist who decided one day to bring a new pitviper into the world, but Gernot Vogel, an esteemed German naturalist.
| 3 | Andaman catsnake |
The resident catsnake of India’s Andaman islands, with the usual nocturnal nature and vertical slits of pupils. The final signature characteristic of the Boiga clan is dwelling on branches, and this includes incredibly thin ones. While Andaman catsnakes aren’t lazy, they’re not hyperactive sprinters like a bronzeback. Instead, they love to coil and intertwine themselves with a branch, much like a real cat likes to intertwine itself with its master (if it’s in a good mood for once).
Andaman catsnakes prey on lizards and geckos, and are extremely secure even on the flimsiest of branches. Even a push and a shove probably couldn’t send them plummeting (though it might enrage them). The only time this snake falls to the ground is if a bird flock mobs and assaults them, or maybe a monkey troop.
Just as a polar bear is adapted to vast ice caps and slushy holes to scoop seals out of, Boiga andamanensis is completely and utterly adapted to life on branches. The only conceivable way a branch could break is if it was rotten and diseased. Luckily, this also makes Andaman catsnakes less likely to land on your head. They stay in their upper world of branches where they belong, while you walk on safely below. This species can reach 167cm.
| 4 | Saw-toothed necked bronzeback |
The bronzeback (Dendrelaphis) family owes its entire existence to resting on the thinnest, spindliest branches. Australia has one Dendrelaphis member, the green tree snake (D. angusticeps), but southwest Asia has over 30, including saw-toothed necked bronzebacks (D. nigroserratus). This species was first discovered in 2012 and inhabits the evergreen forests of western Thailand, at average altitudes of 800 metres.
Dendrelaphis nigroserratus can rest on branches that a human wouldn’t dream of putting their foot on. They split their time between the ground and branches, and are a fast, nimble species on both.
Unlike Vogel’s pitviper, Dendrelaphis nigroserratus isn’t an ambush snake, preferring to actively pursue its frog prey in the tangled world of branches. Literally any thin, spindly branch can serve as a highway to their next meal. Their light, thin bodies mean that anywhere is open to them. When crossing the thinnest branches, Dendrelaphis nigroserratus doesn’t even make a sudden dash; they just cross from one branch to the next as effortlessly as crossing a steel river bridge.
At up to 1.63 metres, Dendrelaphis nigroserratus is one of the largest bronzebacks. Yet this proves no barrier to coiling around spindly, thin branches like spaghetti. ID signs of this species include large eyes, and two black stripes covering the body lengthways, which become broken towards the chest, explaining the name.
| 5 | Taiwan slug snake |
One of the dozens of slug/snail-eating snakes on Earth. The Taiwan slug snake belongs to the 30-member Pareas family, and is exclusive to the wet forests of Taiwan. They’re usually found on low branches or bushes 1-3 metres above ground, where they rest on some of the thinnest branches imaginable. At 50-60cm, this species has little mass to cause them to snap and send them to a likely doom.
Taiwan slug snakes (Pareas komaii) prey on slugs as well as snails. If they couldn’t rest on ultra-thin branches, then their schemes would likely be over, as their main prey tend to be found sliming along these outer areas the most. Pareas komaii isn’t an especially fast snake, slithering at a steady pace in order to creep up stealthily. However, its balance is supreme, and they instinctively wrap around a lower section of their body for support while stationary.
Moving towards outer branches also gives them a better view, revealing juicy new slugs sliming their way along. It helps that Pareas komaii has especially bulging eyes, giving it a surround view of the forests. The slugs it spots may be on the next tree, requiring a leap of faith to the next branch, or at least it would require faith if they felt any fear (which they probably don’t).
This species shares Taiwan with the Formosa slug snake (Pareas formosensis), but has sharply keeled scales and yellow eyes, while the latter has reddish eyes and completely smooth scales.
| 6 | Indo-Chinese ratsnake |
The Indo-Chinese ratsnake is not strictly a tree snake, spending the majority of its time on the ground. Yet they’re so adaptable that they gain the ability to tightrope across thin, spindly branches by default.
Indo-Chinese ratsnakes can be found swimming across marshes, poking their heads into mammal burrows, settling down behind someone’s bed, and staring at people from branches 2 metres high. This is a widespread species in southeast Asia, particularly Java, Thailand and southern Vietnam, where they love to lurk in rice paddies. Sometimes they climb tree branches, whether to follow intriguing prey scents, or gain a vantage point view of the area.
Despite measuring up to 256cm, Indo-Chinese ratsnakes can weave along thinner branches with no issue. The only reason they might plummet to the ground is because they’re such an overeager and energetic snake. The thin branch won’t snap, but they might suddenly lose their footing.
If Ptyas korros lands on your head, you’ll probably be enveloped by a sudden wild thrashing, as that’s this species’ default reaction when touched. Keep calm, amid the sudden storm of snake coils writhing in your face, and you’ll be perfectly OK.
| 7 | Southern sharpnose snake |
This rare Bolivian snake inhabits a small range of habitats. They’re found only in lowland rainforests, and only dense areas with a high percentage of canopy cover. They have a narrow altitude range, confined to just a few hundred vertical metres. However, they do have one valuable skill: resting calmly on extremely thin branches.
Southern sharpnose snakes (Xenoxybelis boulengeri) can defy gravity and appear on branches that really ought to snap. Like the best branch snakes, they have an especially thin body and a superior sense of stability and balance. They move between branches purely instinctively, using no conscious thought, yet still avoid plummeting to the dangerous forest floor.
It’s unlikely that you’ll witness this first hand, as Xenoxybelis boulengeri is a rainforest snake through and through. Their small range in northern Bolivia and southwest Brazil makes finding them a challenge. This snake is as far from the friendly ratsnake in your Florida backgarden as possible.
Southern sharpnose snakes prey mainly on lizards, with some frogs, and are no threat to humans. If you’re desperate to find one, remember to look up. This is a snake of branches, not the forest floor, whether it’s a sturdy fork between tree arms or spindly branch fingers.
| 8 | Ringed tree boa |
The ringed tree boa is a 1-1.5 metre species found in the forests of Costa Rica and Panama. They primarily feed on bats and birds such as Canada warblers, and are a constrictor which begins by hooking into prey with enlarged front fangs, then wrapping around them with many coils.
Ringed tree boas climb up to 40 metres high, and can rest on branches that look absurdly thin relative to their size. It’s one thing being a twig-like snake that slurps up gooey frog spawn, and requires no weight to hunt. But Corallus annulatus is a constrictor and has the body width to match.
Their ability to navigate thin branches allows them to peer through bedroom windows, starling you awake with their yellow boa eyes. Or at least this could happen if they lived anywhere near humanity, as ringed tree boas only inhabit the deepest, most remote forest areas.
Even then, they’re always relatively rare, popping up every few months. A scientist working in an ecological research station is the most likely to bump into a ringed tree boa at the dead of night.
| 9 | Asian vine snake |
The Asian vine snake is a common species of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, where they’re found in rainforests and damp evergreen forests. They measure 100-150cm, and you’re most likely to find them staring at you from a branch so thin and flimsy that you have no idea which tree it originates from.
The Asian vine snake can rest on the thinnest rainforest branches because they’re ultra thin themselves. One of their favourite strategies is to fasten their prehensile tail, dangle down, and mimic a swaying vine in the breeze. Any house gecko that scampers past is doomed unless they notice the yellow eyes carefully watching.
The Asian vine snake’s lifestyle is designed around forests receiving high rainfall quantities. As such, they’ve adapted so that any branch is open to them, from thick arms with a family of frogs hidden inside, to so thin that they bend under pressure.
Asian vine snakes are easily capable of striking from branches, with their mouth gaping to create an impression of madness. Like a bronzeback, they can also cross gaps between thin branches, reaching new trees, aided by their unusually long tail. Asian vine snakes are mildly venomous, but rarely attack humans.
| 10 | Side-striped palm pitviper |
This venomous species does it all when it comes to branches: climbing 10 metres high, resting on thin and spindly branches, and staying for days in one position. Side-striped palm pitvipers measure up to 95cm, and inhabit the mountains of Costa Rica at 850-2100 metres.
Bothriechis lateralis is capable of attacking humans from branches, just as they’re capable of seizing small mammals. This is true for thick arms 30cm in diameter and thin ones of just 5cm. They prey on meals such as rodents, bats and leaf litter anoles as younglings. With the ability to rest on most branches, not just the steadier ones, Bothriechis lateralis increases its chances of survival several-fold.
Another advantage is that the thinner branches are often superior for camouflage. These are the outer areas where thin fingery branches tend to overlap with those of the next tree, creating an impenetrable cloak of foliage 2 metres above the dark rainforest floor. This useful both for ambush and bird-proofing safety. Likewise, coping with thin branches gives Bothriechis lateralis more escape roots. No snake wants to be pursued by a hungry bird and have to debate whether the left or right branch is more likely to snap.