Cat-eyed Snake

(Leptodeira septentrionalis)

Color Photograph courtesy of Jack Goldfarb

Costa Rican Specimen

Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira septentrionalis)

Identification: Snake 18 to 38 inches in length. Color yellow to red-brown with a series of irregular dark brown patches along the back. Head triangular, much wider than the neck. Eyes with narrow, vertical pupils. Belly scales with the rear margin dark. Scales smooth and anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation: None in the United States, but other subspecies found in the American tropics.

Range (see map below left): This species is found in extreme southeastern Texas. It is a tropical species extending throughout Mexico and Central America to Venezuela and Colombia.

Habitat: The Cat-eyed Snake is a tropical species, but is found in a wide variety of habitats there ranging from desert to rain forest.

Food: Frogs and lizards.

Behavior: This species has fangs in the back of its jaw. It immobizes it prey with the venom. The species is nocturnal and searches for its prey on the ground and in bushes along steams and ponds.

Reproduction:  Reproductive biology not well known.

Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira septentrionalis)

Similar Species:

The long, narrow boddy, the distinctive triangular head, and the narrow irises of the eyes should distinguish this species from any other snake in the United States.

Similar Species

No Similar Species