Although Boomslang are relatively shy and don’t generally attack humans, when they do, things can get messy. Boomslang venom is a hemotoxin that disables blood clotting. In others words, its victims slowly die as they bleed out from every pore in their body.
The boomslang (Dispholidus typus) is a large, venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The average adult boomslang is 100–160 cm (3¼–5¼ feet) in total length, but some exceed 183 cm (6 feet). The eyes are exceptionally large, and the head has a characteristic egg-like shape. Coloration is very variable. Males are light green with black or blue scale edges, but adult females may be brown.
The boomslang is a notable exception in that it has a highly potent venom, which it delivers through large fangs that are located in the back of the jaw. Boomslangs are able to open their jaws up to 170 degrees when biting. The venom of the boomslang is primarily a hemotoxin; it disables the blood clotting process and the victim may well die as a result of internal and external bleeding. The venom has been observed to cause hemorrhage into tissues such as muscle and brain. Other signs and symptoms include headache, nausea, sleepiness and mental disorders.
Boomslangs are diurnal and almost exclusively arboreal. They are reclusive, and will flee from anything too large to eat. Their diet includes chameleons and other arboreal lizards, frogs, and occasionally small mammals, birds, and eggs from nesting birds, all of which they swallow whole. During cool weather, they will hibernate for moderate periods, often curling up inside the enclosed nests of birds such as weavers.
Boomslangs are oviparous, and produce up to 30 eggs which are deposited in hollow tree trunks or rotting logs. The eggs have a relatively long (three months on average) incubation period. Male hatchlings are grey with blue speckles, and female hatchlings are a pale brown. They attain their adult coloration after several years. Hatchlings are approximately 20 cm in length and pose no threat to humans, but are dangerously venomous by the time they reach a length of about 45 cm and a girth as thick as an adult's smallest finger.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomslang
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