Range

Africa is the native home of the boomslang. Here they have a wide range through much of the continent south of the Sahara desert. They are most common in the central and southern areas of Africa.

Habitat

Boomslangs will make their home in a variety of habitats owing to their large range these include karoo scrub, arid savanna, lowland forests.

Reproduction

Mating takes place in the spring usually through December and January. Males will leave trails of hormones which females follow to find them. They are among the few snakes which will mate in trees.

Following a successful mating it will be four to eight weeks before the female lays eggs. Females deposit their clutch with an average of 14 eggs within a tree hollow or dead vegetation. Extremely large clutches up to 27 have been observed.

These eggs will incubate for between 2 and 3 months. Once they hatch they are entirely independent.

Their first shed will take place around 10 days old and these continue at regular intervals throughout the snakes life.

Sexual maturity is reached between two and three years old.

Behavior

Boomslangs are considered arboreal with much of their time spent in the trees. When hunting they tend to sit motionless in a tree with their forepart of the body extending out.

Predators and Threats

Natural predators of the boomslang include birds of prey and mammals.

When threatened they will inflate their neck and show off the dark skin between their scales.

Quick facts

Their name comes from the Dutch word for tree ('boom').