Tawny Cat-eyed Snake Or Philippine Cat Snake (mildly venomous)

Boiga philippina

This endemic species is currently recognized to occur across much of the Philippines and has been documented on the islands of Bohol, Catanduanes, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Negors, Polilo, Samar and Panay. Like other Boigas, this is highly nocturnal. It is very docile but very nervous snake when alarmed. When threatened, it raises its head, expands the scales of the neck to show off its warning coloration as well as to make itself appear bigger than it really is and make a puffing noise and may strike repeatedly. This species is a voracious hunter, where it actively pursues their preys that consist primarily of birds and thir fledglings. They are usually found near chicken coops where they feed on eggs. Sometimes, they enter houses and feed on captive pet birds.

Description

This species has very slender body that usually reaches a length up to 7 feet. The big head is of typical Boiga fashion with big eyes and elliptical pupils much like a cat’s eye. The white chin extends down the neck to almost half of its body. Body coloration maybe tan, light borwn, brown, coffee-color to a pale orange. Mating usually begins around November up until January where it lays 6 to 14 eggs in a single clutch, where it is usually deposited inside holes in the tree trunks or in loose ground covered by low vegetation. Males are distinguished by slender bodies, brighter coloration and very long tail. Females however, are stouter with a much shorter tail and duller colors. This species is mildly venomous. Although its venom is slightly stronger than other Boiga, its rounded mouth is very unlikely to cause an envenomating bite. If it does reach to envenomation, there is swelling in the bite area that usually subsides within two to three days but no fatalities have been reported so far.