Western Ghats bronzeback

Ahaetulla perroteti

''Ahaetulla perroteti'', commonly known as the bronze-headed vine snake or the Western Ghats bronzeback, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found largely in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, in south India. It is mainly a grassland snake. It feeds mainly on small lizards and frogs. It is active by day and often basks in open, sun-lit patches for warmth. Like others of its genus, it is rear-fanged, with a toxic saliva.
Bronze headed vine snake( Ahaetula perrotetii) Endemic to high elevated montane shola grasslands of southern Western ghats. The only grass dwelling species of vine snake under genus Ahaetulla. Ahaetulla perroteti,Western Ghats bronzeback,endemic to western ghats.,grass dweller

Appearance

:''See snake scales for terminology''
Snout obtusely pointed and projecting, without dermal appendage, not quite twice as long as the eye. No loreal; internasals and prefrontals in contact with the labials; frontal longer than its distance from the end of the snout, as long as the parietals; one preocular, in contact with the frontal; one postocular; temporals 1+2 or 2 + 2; 8 upper labials, fourth and fifth entering the eye; 4 lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, which are as long as the posterior.

Dorsal scales in 15 rows at mid body, those on sacral region keeled. Ventrals 138-140; anal divided; subcaudals 70-82.

Bright green above; yellowish or pale green beneath, with a green lateral line.

Total length 2 feet ; tail 5.5 inches .
Bronze headed vine snake( Ahaetula perrotetii) This is a grass dwelling ophid!Endemic to montane GRASSLAND and sholas ( subtropical montane temperate wet evergreen forests) of upper NILGIRIS and Palni hills and some patches of Kerala... Mildly venomous snake.. Sexual dimorphism is clear with morph ,green for male and greyish black for female.  Ahaetulla perroteti,Endemic species to western ghats,Montane grassland,mildly venomous

Naming

The specific name, ''perroteti'', is in honor of French naturalist Gustave Samuel Perrotet .

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Endangered
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusAhaetulla
SpeciesA. perroteti
Photographed in
India