Reptile Spotlight
Dispholidus typus — one of Africa's most striking tree snakes. Beautiful, calm and remarkably dangerous: a species that quietly proved snake venom science wrong.
The boomslang is a slender, tree-dwelling snake found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Its name is Afrikaans for "tree snake" — an accurate description, as it spends the vast majority of its life in the canopy.
What makes it fascinating is its dramatic colour variation: males are often vivid green or electric blue-black, while females are typically brown or grey. Juveniles are born with striking grey heads and large, bulbous eyes that fade as they mature.
Despite its fearsome reputation, the boomslang is shy and docile. It would rather flee than fight, and almost all recorded bites occur when people attempt to handle or capture it.
Everything you need to know about this remarkable species.
1.2 – 1.6 m on average, occasionally reaching 2 m.
Sub-Saharan Africa, from savanna to coastal forest.
Potently haemotoxic — it destroys red blood cells and prevents clotting.
Almost entirely arboreal — a true canopy specialist.
How the boomslang hunts, eats and survives.
The boomslang is an ambush predator with an exceptionally long, lean body built for reaching into tree hollows and thick foliage. Its most famous hunting trick is deceiving chameleons: by slowly imitating a swaying branch, it lulls its prey into a false sense of security before striking.
Its diet is broad for a canopy snake, including chameleons, other tree-dwelling lizards, birds and their eggs, frogs, and small mammals.
The boomslang carries one of the most potent haemotoxic venoms of any colubrid snake. Ironically, its rear-fanged, slow-strike anatomy led scientists to assume it was harmless for decades — until a fatal bite in 1957 to renowned herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt, who famously documented his own symptoms in a scientific diary.
Symptoms can be delayed for hours before internal bleeding develops, so any suspected bite requires urgent medical attention and the species-specific antivenom. In the wild, bites on humans remain exceptionally rare.
Common questions about Africa's tree snake.
The boomslang is a vital part of its ecosystem, keeping bird and lizard populations in balance. Observe from a distance — and let this quiet beauty keep to the canopy.
