This beautiful snake caught everyone at Platform 2 by surprise. The adults had missed the prescence of the snake as it sunbathed at one corner of the wooden platform at the edge of the mangrove mudflat. It was a young girl who pointed it out with a whisper, being careful not to spook it with a yell or a scream.
The snake distracted attention away from the white-bellied fish eagle perched on the faraway tree. This was nature up close and literally at arm's length. It happily soaked up the warmth of the sun not being bothered by the vibrations caused by human footsteps on the wooden platform.
(the background cricket song had been dubbed in to replace quite a bit of human 'noise')
The snake however did eventually decide to move on and when it really did want to move, it moved fast. This is a very agile snake and being arboreal in nature, it is capable of feats of gymnastics fit for an active life in the trees.
Known for their ability to glide from trees, you can make out the triangularly shaped body. It's sides appear very much flattened and this ability to flatten its body thereby increasing its surface area would certainly assist the snake when gliding from a higher tree to a lower one similar to how a parachutist relies on the opened chute.
The snake distracted attention away from the white-bellied fish eagle perched on the faraway tree. This was nature up close and literally at arm's length. It happily soaked up the warmth of the sun not being bothered by the vibrations caused by human footsteps on the wooden platform.
(the background cricket song had been dubbed in to replace quite a bit of human 'noise')
The snake however did eventually decide to move on and when it really did want to move, it moved fast. This is a very agile snake and being arboreal in nature, it is capable of feats of gymnastics fit for an active life in the trees.
Known for their ability to glide from trees, you can make out the triangularly shaped body. It's sides appear very much flattened and this ability to flatten its body thereby increasing its surface area would certainly assist the snake when gliding from a higher tree to a lower one similar to how a parachutist relies on the opened chute.
Here's a video clip from Labrador Park in early 2011 :
Read more about this fascinating snake :
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