About Ahaetulla mycterizans (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ahaetulla mycterizans, commonly known as the Malayan green whipsnake, is a diurnal, mildly venomous species of whip snake. It inhabits primary and mature secondary forests located near streams. Like other whip snakes, its diet consists primarily of frogs and lizards. This is a slow-moving species that often resembles a vine among foliage, making it hard to detect. When threatened, it can expand the anterior section of its body to expose its dark scales. The Malayan green whipsnake is frequently confused with the oriental whipsnake, Ahaetulla prasina. Unlike the oriental whipsnake, the Malayan green whipsnake does not live in disturbed areas, parks, or gardens, especially within its distributional range of Singapore. It can be distinguished from the oriental whipsnake by several traits: it has larger eyes, lacks a thin yellow line along its flanks, and reaches a smaller maximum size. The Malayan green whipsnake grows to a maximum of 1 meter (3.3 feet) in snout-to-vent length (SVL), while the oriental whipsnake can reach up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) SVL. Very little information is available about the ecology and natural history of this species. Ahaetulla mycterizans is distributed across Western Peninsular Malaysia, Java and Sumatra (Indonesia), Singapore, Borneo, and Thailand, and may also occur in Laos. It can be found at elevations up to 350 meters (1,150 feet).
