Brown tree snake

Love the eyes on this beautiful species.   

With the heat wave that we've been experiencing of late, I had a feeling that there would be some interesting animals active as soon as it cooled off a little.  We went for a drive in the bush last night and found quite a few fascinating animals out and about.  

This lovely Brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is one of my favourite snakes.  They are venomous, though not considered very toxic, and "back-fanged" which some people think means they can't readily envenomate humans.  Sometimes Brown tree snakes can be quite defensive if startled or harassed.  This chap was extremely laid back indeed, and didn't seem to mind me taking a few quick shots as he crossed the road.  As soon as I hit him with the light he froze in place, motionless, hoping I couldn't see him.  This allowed me to get very close and take a few reasonable images of his face.  

I love those huge, doll-like eyes - and a feature that you can't see in the photos - they have a square edge on their ventral scales which is a huge advantage for an animal that lives in trees and on cliff faces.  Beautifully adapted for nocturnal life, and lightly built - ideal for catching birds, bats, frogs, mice etc.  They have been accidentally introduced into Guam where they are a terrible pest, but they evolved here and are 100% native - and an essential part of our environment.     

Brown tree snake Boiga irregularis, foraging on a wet night.  

    

Brown tree snake Boiga irregularis,
He is NOT poised to strike, just frozen motionless, hoping that I can't see him.