Green Vine Snake

The green vine snake, also known as the long-nosed whip snake, is found in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. It feeds on frogs and lizards using its binocular vision. They rely on their "vine camouflage" as a protection as they move slowly. When threatened they point their head in the direction of the threat and may open their mouth menacingly while expanding their body so that it looks thicker. As the skin stretches it turns from green to green with black and white markings and looks like a completely different snake.  

Two green vine snakes in Matare, Sri Lanka, held by their owner, a snake enthusiast.

A closer view of the head of one of them. 

It is known as an "eye striker" in one local language due to the myth that it stares at humans when picked up and strikes at their eyes. It is mildly venomous which can cause swelling, pain and numbness. However, it is rear-fanged, that is, the fangs are at the back of the jaw, and they must chew on the victim to release the venom. For humans, they can shake them off. 

Judy with the snakes draped over her glasses. 

The heads of the two snakes. 

It has a pointed nose, is a slender yellowish green and is about 60 inches long. It has yellow eyes with horizontal black pupils which look like slits. 

Green vine snake on a dirt road in Yala NP.

A closer view of the part of the upper-body raised in the air. 

Here it reverses coarse and goes back to the other side of the dirt road. 

We saw a green vine snake in Yala National Park. Our driver stopped and pointed out a small green line stretched across the road near a puddle. We could hardly see the snake. The next day we visited the home of a man in Matare that keeps snakes. He brought out two green vine snakes and draped them on our eye-glasses. It was fun to see close-up what we'd seen on the ground in Yala. These snakes did not display any threatening behavior.