Mangrove Snake

The Mangrove Snake, which goes also by the very melodious name Ularburong, is an unmistakeable and very large cat snake from the Boiga genus. In Thailand, these snakes can be found in the southern peninsular region where they mainly prey on birds. This preference for avian prey is reflected by the composition of their venom which includes demnotoxin, a so called "three-finger toxin" that works especially effective on birds. It is furthermore the first characterised bird-specific toxin and was formally thought to only occur in the venoms of elapid snakes, like cobras and kraits.

Although the Ularburong has been kept in the pet trade, it is known to be quite an aggressive and hectic snake. Its venom has been described as not life-threatening for humans; still, cases of severe envenomations are reported which is why any possible bite should be considered as dangerous and handled with great care.

Their latin name dendrophila derives from the Greek "dendros" for tree and "philos" for friend (thus, literally meaning "tree lover") which illustrates this snake's arboreal lifestyle. In Thai, their name can be translated to "snake with golden segments", referring to their yellow-ringed pattern.