# Red-tailed Green Ratsnake (*Gonyosoma oxycephalum*) The Red-tailed Green Ratsnake is a beautiful snake with bright green scales and a striking red tail. It loves to climb trees and can be found in forests and jungles, where it hunts for small animals. - **Category:** [Reptiles](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/reptile) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Red-tailed Green Ratsnake](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Gonyosoma_oxycephalum_Oslo.JPG&width=800) Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gonyosoma_oxycephalum_Oslo.JPG) ## Appearance The Red-tailed Green Ratsnake is a vibrant lime green, with a distinctive reddish-orange tail that contrasts sharply with its body. It has large, round eyes that are typically yellow, often featuring a dark line through them, and a slender yet muscular build. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Squamata - **Order:** Serpentes - **Family:** Colubridae - **Genus:** Gonyosoma ## Interesting facts - It can inflate its neck to look much bigger and scarier when it feels threatened! - This incredible climber can snatch birds and their eggs right from nests high in the trees! - This snake has square pupils, unlike the round pupils of most other snakes! - Young Red-tailed Green Ratsnakes are often blue-green before turning bright green as adults! ## Special abilities - **Emerald Camouflage:** Red-tailed Green Ratsnake has bright green scales that helps them blend perfectly with leafy branches in the forest canopy. - **Branch Balancer:** Red-tailed Green Ratsnake can grip branches tightly with specialized scales and move swiftly through trees without falling. - **Constriction Power:** Red-tailed Green Ratsnake can powerfully squeeze its prey to subdue it because of its strong, muscular body. - **Keen Aerial Hunter:** Red-tailed Green Ratsnake has large, forward-facing eyes that helps them spot birds and bats high above the forest floor. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 120-250 cm - **Weight:** 0.5-2 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-15 years - **Speed:** 10 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 5-12 - **Incubation:** 75-90 days ## Diet & Feeding This slithery hunter eats birds, their eggs, and small mammals it catches in trees! - **Primary Foods:** Birds, Rodents, Bats, Lizards, Bird eggs - **Foraging Method:** Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** [House Sparrow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-sparrow) (*Passer domesticus*) — eats these birds and their eggs - **Hunts:** [Black Rat](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-rat) (*Rattus rattus*) — hunts these rodents in trees and on ground - **Eaten by:** King Cobra (*Ophiophagus hannah*) — preyed upon by larger snakes - **Eaten by:** Crested Serpent Eagle (*Spilornis cheela*) — raptors can snatch snakes from trees ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators. - [Camouflaged](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/camouflaged): Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Ambush Predator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ambush-predator): An ambush predator hunts by patiently waiting and concealing itself, then launching a sudden attack when unsuspecting prey comes within range. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. ## Collections - [Reptiles](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/reptiles) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low If you see a snake in the wild, it's best to watch from a distance and not touch it. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Red-tailed Green Ratsnake? Compare the full body pattern, build, head markings and tail. Color can shift with age and lighting. Rules of thumb about triangular heads or round pupils aren't a reliable way to tell whether a snake is venomous. Snake Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Red-tailed Green Ratsnake? 120-250 cm ### How much does Red-tailed Green Ratsnake weigh? 0.5-2 kg ### How long does Red-tailed Green Ratsnake live? 10-15 years ### How fast can Red-tailed Green Ratsnake move? 10 km/h ### What does Red-tailed Green Ratsnake eat? This slithery hunter eats birds, their eggs, and small mammals it catches in trees! ### Where is Red-tailed Green Ratsnake usually found? Forests ### How does Red-tailed Green Ratsnake hunt? Ambush ## More Reptiles - [Pond Slider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pond-slider) (*Trachemys scripta*) - [Western Fence Lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-fence-lizard) (*Sceloporus occidentalis*) - [Common Five-lined Skink](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-five-lined-skink) (*Plestiodon fasciatus*) - [Desert Spiny Lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/desert-spiny-lizard) (*Sceloporus magister*) --- Source: [Red-tailed Green Ratsnake: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-tailed-green-ratsnake)