A highly venomous tree snake of sub-Saharan Africa; its name is Afrikaans for "tree snake". It has very large eyes and excellent eyesight. Males are usually light green, while females may be brown. It is timid, and bites mostly happen when people try to catch or kill it.
Quick answers
What is it?Reptile
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Yes
A tiny dose of its venom can kill an adult, but it is timid: bites usually happen when people try to handle or catch it.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica
ColoursGreen, Brown, Black
SizeMedium
LengthUsually 100–160 cm
Weight175–510 g
LegsNone
Covered inScales
Lives alone
Lives for8–10 years
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Sub-Saharan Africa.
- What it eats
- Chameleons and other tree lizards, frogs, and sometimes small mammals, birds and eggs.
Did you know
Fangs sit at the back of its mouth, and its slow venom causes uncontrollable bleeding.
Herpetologist Karl Schmidt died in 1957 after a bite from a young boomslang he doubted could kill him.
Its venom is slow-acting, so symptoms may not appear until many hours after a bite.
Often confused with
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