Rhinoceros Rat Snake

A slender tree snake of northern Vietnam and southern China, a little over a metre long when grown. The horn on its snout is soft and covered in small scales, and no function for it has been demonstrated.

• Young can be more brownish before turning green.
• The nose projection gives the species its common name.
• It is nonvenomous and subdues small prey such as rodents and birds by constriction.
• It lives mainly in trees and shrubs of forests in northern Vietnam and southern China.

Activity in the wild is poorly documented; it is generally reported as active by day and at twilight. At rest it lies coiled on branches among foliage.

Habitat: subtropical forest and limestone woodland

Native range: Vietnam and southern China

Small mammals, birds and other small vertebrates. Feeding in the wild has been little studied; captive snakes take mice readily and subdue them in their coils before swallowing.

Activity in the wild is poorly documented; it is generally reported as active by day and at twilight. At rest it lies coiled on branches among foliage.

Wild lifespan has not been documented. In captivity it typically lives for about 10 to 15 years.

Little is known of breeding in the wild, where females lay clutches of eggs in hidden places. In captivity, clutches of around 5 to 10 eggs have been reported, hatching after roughly two months, and the young receive no care.

The sexes are similar, with size differences usually subtle. Colour and the snout horn are alike in both, so telling them apart generally needs examination in the hand.

Rarity: Rare · 79/100. Rhinoceros Rat Snake is never easy to find and becomes less secure when subtropical forest and limestone woodland is reduced or broken apart.

• Keep distance and let the animal choose the space.
• Avoid blocking movement routes, nesting areas, or feeding behavior.
• Use optics, patience, and quiet observation instead of crowding for a closer view.