Kopstein's Bronzeback

Southeast Asia Snakes

Snakes ~ Bronzebacks ~ Kopstein's Bronzeback

The Kopstein's Bronzeback was recently described by German herpetologist Gernot Vogel in 2007. Before, it was often misidentified in literature as Dendrelaphis formosus, which is a seperate species. The Kopstein's bronzeback is found in lowland to mid-level rainforest but it is not common. The Kopstein's bronzeback is characterised by an orange brown nape and head. A black stripe extends from the snout through the eye and ends near the the neck. The lower jaw and throat region is yellow, fading to a greyish white at the ventrals.

The rest of the body is highly keeled and brownish with intermittent greenish blue dashes. When threatened, the Kopstein's bronzeback has the ability to flare its nape, revealing bright orange colours. The scales along the lateral and dorsal region also reveal a network of blue scales, though it is very intense. Like most Dendrelaphis species, the Kopstein's bronzeback has an aggressive disposition with a painful bite. This species is also one of the more robust members of the bronzeback family. In the wild, they hunt frogs and lizards. In Southeast Asia, they occur in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia (Sumatra).