Spotted Bush Snake
Philothamnus Semivariegatus
This very slender snake with a flat, distinct head and a long tail lives in the northern regions of Botswana, and from central Africa to Sudan and Guinea. Essentially an arboreal species, this snake is found in suitable open forest or bush country, often far removed from water. It is a graceful, swift-moving snake and, in its natural environment is extremely difficult to spot or follow with the eye. It can easily negotiate upright tree-trunks or similar vertical surfaces. Although normally tree-living, it is also quite at home on the ground. Its normal diet consists mainly of tree lizards, such as gekkos and chameleons, and tree-frogs–oops! (Oh well, cycle of life.) When cornered it puts up a great show of ferocity by distending the neck vertically and striking out viciously. This species is also known as the Green Speckled, Banded or Variegated Bush or Wood Snake.
