Project Squamata - Philippines

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫 🐍🇵🇭

Identification plate of 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑧𝑒𝑖 (Griffin, 1909), also known as the Schultze’s Pit Viper — 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗻, 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.

Named after German naturalist Wilhelm Schultze, who collected the holotype (PNM 315) in Palawan. The specimen was later destroyed during World War II along with many other Philippine type specimens.

After encountering multiple individuals during our herping trip in Palawan, I still can’t get enough of these snakes. We found several juveniles, but it wasn’t until we finally came across an adult that I was able to make an identification plate.

Hopefully these remarkable animals will continue to thrive so future generations can appreciate them. Perhaps one day, the persecution of snakes will also come to an end. They are magnificent creatures that deserve our respect and should not have to suffer because of our greed.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴.

Follow our page for more! 🐍🇵🇭

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Ref: The snakes of the Philippine Islands :
Taylor, Edward Harrison, 1889-1978

Synopsis of the snakes of the Philippines: A synthesis of data from biodiversity repositories, field studies, and the literature. Leviton, A.E., C.D. Siler, J.L. Weinell & R.M. Brown. 2018

Photography: Kyle Anadeo Tamayo

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐧 🐍🇵🇭

Identification plate of 𝐵𝑜𝑖𝑔𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑎 (Boulenger, 1896), also known as the Palawan mangrove snake — 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗻, 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.

Probably one of the most common snakes you can encounter when visiting Palawan, tourists often spot them basking high on mangrove trees during the day. But once the sun starts to fade, some of these snakes begin cruising through streams and mangroves in search of prey and freshwater.

Many of the local fishermen we met are genuinely afraid of these snakes. They often describe them as aggressive animals that chase people, but in reality, they’re simply defensive and want to be left alone. Some also reported that they’re very curious with lights or just wanted to investigate. It’s honestly sad hearing stories from older residents who remember a time when these snakes were common in that particular mangrove area. Today, you’re already lucky to see even one there because of increasing human encroachment and disturbance in the area.

Being cat snakes, they are rear-fanged and mildly venomous to humans. Interestingly, mangrove snakes possess a venom component called denmotoxin, which is far more effective on birds than on mammals like us. It just goes to show that their venom evolved for survival and hunting, not for attacking people.

So if you ever see one, please leave it alone. These snakes are not going to chase someone just to bite them because that would be a terrible survival strategy for a wild animal. Keep a respectful distance, admire them from afar, and please don’t harm our wildlife. While bites from these snakes are often not medically serious in humans, reactions can still vary, so it’s always best to avoid handling them.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴.

Follow our page for more! 🐍🇵🇭

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Ref: Minton, Sherman A.;Dunson, William A. 1978. Observations on the Palawan mangrove snake, Boiga dendrophila multicincta (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae). Journal of Herpetology 12 (1): 107

Synopsis of the snakes of the Philippines: A synthesis of data from biodiversity repositories, field studies, and the literature. Leviton, A.E., C.D. Siler, J.L. Weinell & R.M. Brown. 2018

Photography: Kyle Anadeo Tamayo