''Boiga'' is a large
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
rear-fanged
A snake skeleton consists primarily of the skull, vertebrae, and ribs, with only vestigial remnants of the limbs.
Skull
The skull of a snake is a very complex structure, with numerous joints to allow the snake to swallow prey far larger than i ...
, mildly
venomous snake
Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or ...
s, known
commonly as cat-eyed snakes or simply cat snakes, in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ev ...
.
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of the genus ''Boiga'' are native to southeast
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, and
Australia, but due to their extremely hardy nature and adaptability, have spread to many other suitable habitats around the world. There are 38 recognized
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
in the genus. According to the study done by Jiří Smíd regarding Old World cat snakes, the ancestor of the cat snake originated in Africa, from where it diversified and expanded to other countries. Despite this diversity however, the different species have very similar needs in terms of temperature and precipitation.
Species and subspecies

The following species and subspecies are recognized as being valid.
*''
Boiga andamanensis
''Boiga andamanensis'', known commonly as the Andaman cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Andaman Islands.
Description
The body of ''B. andamanensis'' is long, thin, and laterally ...
'' – Andaman cat snake
*''
Boiga angulata
''Boiga angulata'', commonly known as the Leyte cat snake or Philippine blunt-headed tree snake, is a species rear-fanged of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Philippines. It is considered mildly venomous. This snake fe ...
'' – Leyte cat snake
*''
Boiga barnesii
''Boiga barnesii'' is a species of cat snake endemic to Sri Lanka. It is known as Barnes' cat snake in English and -පදුරු මාපිලා in Sinhala. It is a member of the snake family Colubridae. It is distributed in the lowlands ...
'' – Barnes' cat snake
*''
Boiga beddomei
''Boiga beddomei'', commonly known as Beddome's cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India, in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa states.
Geographic range
''B. beddomei' ...
'' – Beddome's cat snake
*''
Boiga bengkuluensis
''Boiga bengkuluensis'' is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Geographic range
The snake is found in Southern Thailand, West Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States ...
''
*''
Boiga blandingii
''Toxicodryas blandingii'', commonly known as Blanding's cat snake or Blanding's tree snake, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Etymology
The specific name, ''bland ...
'' – Blanding's tree snake
*''
Boiga bourreti
''Boiga bourreti'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia.
Etymology
The specific name, ''bourreti'', is in honor of French herpetologist René Léon Bourret. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (20 ...
''
*''
Boiga ceylonensis
''Boiga ceylonensis'' (Sri Lanka cat snake) is a species of rear-fanged, mildly venomous, nocturnal, arboreal colubrid snake endemic to Sri Lanka.
Description
This is a thin-bodied, elongate, slim, tree snake. Taxonomic features: Dorsal Scal ...
'' – Sri Lanka cat snake
*''
Boiga cyanea
''Boiga cyanea'', commonly known as the Green cat snake, is a colubrid snake species found in South Asia, China and South-east Asia.
Description
Medium to large in length, slightly compressed, medium bodied snake with a moderately long tail. ...
'' – green cat snake
*''
Boiga cynodon'' – dog-toothed cat snake
*''
Boiga dendrophila
''Boiga dendrophila'', commonly called the mangrove snake or the gold-ringed cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southeast Asia. It is one of the biggest cat snake species, ...
'' – gold-ringed cat snake, mangrove snake
**''Boiga dendrophila annectens''
**''Boiga dendrophila dendrophila''
**''Boiga dendrophila divergens''
**''Boiga dendrophila gemmicincta''
**''Boiga dendrophila latifasciata''
**''Boiga dendrophila levitoni''
**''Boiga dendrophila multicincta''
**''Boiga dendrophila occidentalis''
*''
Boiga dightoni'' – Pirmad cat snake
*''
Boiga drapiezii
''Boiga drapiezii'', commonly known as Drapiez's cat snake and the white-spotted cat snake, is a species of long and slender rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Maritime Southeast Asia and is common throughout ...
'' – white-spotted cat snake
*''
Boiga flaviviridis
''Boiga flaviviridis'', the yellow-green cat snake, is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake of the family Colubridae, which is found in India. It is a rear fanged, nocturnal, arboreal species of snake that probably feeds on lizards, f ...
''
*''
Boiga forsteni
''Boiga forsteni'', also known as Forsten's cat snake, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged colubrid endemic to South Asia.
Geographic range
''Boiga forstenii'' is found in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India (Sikkim, West Bengal, Maharashtra, G ...
'' – Forsten's cat snake
*''
Boiga gocool
The arrowback tree snake (''Boiga gocool'') is a species of rear-fanged colubrid found in Bhutan, Bangladesh and India (Assam, Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north ...
'' – arrowback tree snake
*''
Boiga guangxiensis
''Boiga guangxiensis'' is a species of snakes of the family Colubridae. It is sometimes known as the Guangxi cat snake.
Geographic range
The snake is found in southern China (Guangxi province), Laos, and Vietnam.
Habitat and behaviour
''Boiga g ...
''
*''
Boiga hoeseli
''Boiga hoeseli'', also known as the Lesser Sundas cat snake, is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Geographic range
The snake is found in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, i ...
''
*''
Boiga irregularis
The brown tree snake (''Boiga irregularis''), also known as the brown catsnake, is an arboreal rear-fanged colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal Australia, eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi to Papua), Papua New Guinea, and many islands ...
'' – brown tree snake
*''
Boiga jaspidea
''Boiga jaspidea'' commonly known as the jasper cat snake is a species of rear-fanged colubrid that is uncommon throughout its range.
Description
Its small and slender body is reddish to chocolate brown, but rich black and white speckles cove ...
'' – jasper cat snake
*''
Boiga kraepelini
''Boiga kraepelini'', commonly known as the square-headed cat snake, Kelung cat snake, or Taiwanese tree snake is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to East Asia and Southeast Asia (T ...
'' – Kelung cat snake
*''
Boiga melanota
''Boiga melanota'', the western mangrove cat snake,Henrik Bringsøe, 2001. Boiga melanota (Western Mangrove Cat Snake): Die/ref> is one of the biggest Boiga, cat snake species in Asia. It is found in Thailand, West Malaysia, Singapore, and Indo ...
''
*''
Boiga multifasciata
The many-banded tree snake (''Boiga multifasciata'') is a species of rear-fanged colubrid. Not much is known about it and it is rated as "data deficient" by the IUCN.
Description
Dorsally, it is grayish with oblique black crossbars, and has a ...
'' – many-banded cat snake
*''
Boiga multomaculata'' – many-spotted cat snake
*''
Boiga nigriceps
''Boiga nigriceps'' (black-headed cat snake) is a species of colubrid snake from South-East Asia. They are large snakes; adults may attain a total length of .
Description
It gets its name from the greenish to blackish coloration of its head. N ...
'' – black-headed cat snake
*''
Boiga nuchalis'' – collared cat snake
*''
Boiga ochracea
''Boiga ochracea'', commonly called the tawny cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
Geographic range
''B. ochracea'' is found in the Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...
'' – tawny cat snake
*''
Boiga philippina
''Boiga philippina'', also known as the tawny cat eyed snake or Philippine cat snake, a species of rear-fanged colubrid snake that is endemic to the Philippines.
Description
It has a very slender body that can reach lengths of up to . The big he ...
'' – Philippine cat snake
*''
Boiga quincunciata
''Boiga quincunciata'' is a species of cat snake, a rear-fanged colubrid, found in Myanmar (= Burma), India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (Chessa, Chimpu, Papum Pare district).
References
* Wall, F. 1908 Two new snakes from Assam. J. Bombay N. H. ...
''
*''
Boiga saengsomi
''Boiga saengsomi'' is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Thailand.
Etymology
The specific name, ''saengsomi'', is in honor of Buntot Saengmahasom who is a Thai animal collector.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; ...
'' – banded cat snake
*''
Boiga schultzei
''Boiga schultzei'', commonly known as the Schultze's blunt-headed tree snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Philippines.
Etymology
The specific name, ''schultzei'', is in honor of Willie Schult ...
'' –
Schultze's blunt-headed tree snake
*''
Boiga siamensis
The gray cat snake (''Boiga siamensis''), also known as eyed cat snake or Siamese cat snake is a species of catsnake found in northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam. and Nepal
Description
The Siamese ca ...
'' – gray cat snake
*''
Boiga tanahjampeana
''Boiga tanahjampeana'' is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Geographic range
The snake is found in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and ...
''
*''
Boiga thackerayi
''Boiga thackerayi'', or Thackeray's cat snake, is arboreal, mostly seen close to forest streams, and is active during the night. It is rear fanged and is known to grow up to three feet in length. It is endemic to the Western Ghats, India.
Et ...
'' – Thackeray’s cat snake
*''
Boiga trigonata
''Boiga trigonata'', commonly known as the Indian gamma snake or common cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged colubrid endemic to South Asia.
Description
:''See snake scales for terms used''
''B. trigonata'' has anterior palatine and mandi ...
'' – Indian gamma snake
**''Boiga trigonata trigonata''
**''Boiga trigonata melanocephala''
*''
Boiga wallachi
''Boiga wallachi'', also known commonly as the Nicobar cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands.
Geographic range
''B. wallachi'' is known from the islands of Great ...
'' – Nicobar cat snake
*''
Boiga westermanni
The Indian egg-eating snake or Indian egg-eater (''Elachistodon westermanni)'' is a rare species of egg-eating snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It is also called Westermann's snake, reflecting its ...
'' – Indian egg-eating snake
*''
Boiga whitakeri
''Boiga whitakeri'', or Whitaker's cat snake, is a species of nocturnal, arboreal, opisthoglyphous snake of the family Colubridae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu states.
Etymology
Whitaker's cat ...
'' – Whitaker's cat snake
''
Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...
'': A
binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was original described in a genus other than ''Boiga''.
Description
Cat snakes are long-bodied snakes with large heads and large
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
s. They vary greatly in pattern and color. Many species have banding, but some are spotted and some are solid-colored. Colors are normally
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
,
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model use ...
, or
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
with
white
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
or
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In ...
accents.
Behaviour
Snakes of the genus ''Boiga'' are primarily
arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose num ...
,
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have ...
snakes.
Diet
Snakes of the genus ''Boiga''
prey
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
on various small species of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...
s, snakes,
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s, and
mammals.
Venom
The toxicity of ''Boiga'' venom varies from species to species, but is not generally considered to be life-threatening to humans.
Since their venom doesn't usually harm humans, they are popular exotic pets.
Reproduction
''Boiga'' species are
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...
.
In captivity
''Boiga dendrophila'' is by far the most common species in captivity, but ''B. cyanea'' and ''B. nigriceps'' are also found. Nowadays, ''B. cynodon'', ''B. philippina'' and a “Katherine morph” of ''B. irregularis'' are also circulating in the South-East Asian exotic pet trade. Others are not commonly available. They are hardy and adaptable and tend to do well in captivity after the initial period of stress from the importation process is passed. They are not bred commonly in captivity, so most specimens available are wild caught, and thus are prone to heavy internal
parasite
Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted structurally to this way of lif ...
load. Adjusting them to a
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are roden ...
only diet can be difficult for the inexperienced
reptile keeper.
Invasive species
''Boiga irregularis'' in particular has been federally banned in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
because of its effect by accidentally being introduced to the island of
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...
. Some time during the 1950s, some ''B. irregularis'' of both sexes (or possibly a single female with
egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
s) reached the island, possibly having hidden in imported
plant
Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...
pots. The island of Guam lacks native snakes or predators that can deal with snakes the size and aggressiveness of ''B. irregularis''. As a result, it has bred unchecked as an
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...
, and has begun consuming the island's bird life in extreme numbers. Dozens of bird species have been completely eradicated from the island, many species that were found nowhere else on earth, and the snake has reached astonishing population densities, reported to be as high as 15,000 snakes per square mile. In addition to devouring the native
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''biota''. Zoo ...
, this species will routinely crawl into power transformers, and this typically results in both an electrocuted snake and substantial blackouts.
References
Further reading
*
Fitzinger LI (1826). ''Neue Classification der Reptilien nach ihren natürlichen Verwandtschaften. Nebst einer Verwandtschafts-tafel und einem Verzeichnisse der Reptilien-Sammlung des k.k. zoologischen Museums zu Wien.'' Vienna: J.G. Heubner. five unnumbered + 67 pp. + one plate. (''Boiga'', new genus, p. 60). (in German and Latin).
External links
Wild Herps.com: Eastern Brown Tree SnakeGernot-Vogel.de: Checklist of the Genus ''Boiga'' (Serpentes: Colubridae)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1475483
Boiga
Colubrids
Snakes of Australia
Reptiles of India
Reptiles of Asia
Reptiles of Pakistan
Snake genera
Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger