Thrasops jacksonii, known commonly as the black tree snakeor Jackson's black tree snake, is a species of primarily arboreal and diurnal snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to Central Africa, and has been discovered to possess a hemorrhagic venom, which it delivers to prey through moderately-sized fangs.

Geographic range

T. jacksonii is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of T. jacksonii are forest and savanna, at altitudes of 549–2,400 m (1,801–7,874 ft).

Description

T. jacksonii may attain a total length (including tail) of about 2.0 m (6.6 ft).

Behavior

T. jacksonii is diurnal and arboreal, and has been found as high as 30 m (98 ft) in the canopy.

Diet

A generalist, T. jacksonii preys upon frogs, arboreal lizards, birds and their eggs, and mammals.

Reproduction

T. jacksonii is oviparous. Clutch size is 7–12 eggs.

Etymology

The specific name, jacksonii, is in honor of English ornithologist Frederick John Jackson.

Further reading

  • Günther A (1895). "Notice of Reptiles and Batrachians collected in the Eastern Half of Tropical Africa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series 15: 523–529 + Plate XXI. (Thrasops Jacksonii, new species, pp. 528–529).
  • Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Thrasops jacksonii, p. 500).