''Langaha madagascariensis'' (formerly ''Langaha nasuta'', commonly known as the Madagascar or Malagasy leaf-nosed snake) is a medium-sized highly cryptic

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, 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. Th ...

species. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and found in deciduous dry forests and rain forests, often in vegetation 1.5 to 2 meters above the ground.

Description

Malagasy leaf-nosed snakes can grow up to 1 meter in length. There is considerable

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

within the species; the males are dorsally brown and ventrally yellow with a long tapering snout, while the females are mottled grey with a flattened, leaf shaped snout. The function of their appendage is unknown, but obviously also serves as

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

. It is largely a sit-and-wait predator. It may show curious resting behaviour, hanging straight down from a branch. Prey items include arboreal and terrestrial lizards. It also exhibits hooding while stalking prey. These hooding and swaying behaviours along with its cryptic colour patterns, might allow L. madagascariensis to mimic a vine swaying in the wind. Leaf-nosed snakes are oviparous with clutch sizes ranging from 5 to 11 eggs. Malagasy leaf-nosed snakes are generally calm and reluctant to bite unless provoked.

Envenomation Envenomation is the process by which venom is injected by the bite or sting of a venomous animal. Many kinds of animals, including mammals (e.g., the northern short-tailed shrew, ''Blarina brevicauda''), reptiles (e.g., the king cobra), spiders ...

by the snake causes severe pain in humans, but is not deadly.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2713664 Pseudoxyrhophiidae Snakes of Africa Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Venomous snakes Reptiles described in 1790 Taxa named by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre