Emerald Tree Boa Corallus caninus/batesii

The colourful Emerald Tree Boa, native to northern South America, is mainly nocturnal and spends most of the day drapped over a branch, often over water.

Split into two species in 2009, the Amazonian form with white dorsal stripe (shown above) is now called the Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boa or Bates's Tree Boa, (C. batesii), and the other is the Northern or Guianan. Both forms have yellow undersides.

The Amazonian, (C. batesii), ie all those shown above, can grow to 8 feet (2.5 metres) long. Both species have heat sensors around the mouth and long teeth to capture and hold warm-blooded prey (mammals/birds/bats) while constricting it to death. (Juveniles are orange-red.)

The Northern or Guianan, (C. caninus), shown immediately above and without the dorsal stripe, can grow to 6 feet ((1.8 metres) long.