Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I snapped this picture a few yards away from the ocean in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica in December of 2003. What kind is it?

Terry

Drymobius I think.. unsure of what species n/m

Scott Eipper

Didn't think there were any Drymobius that patternless, but I don't know the genus well... What it looks like to me, though, is a Pseustes poecilonotus. Better pics would help, though.

Patrick Alexander

One other possibility is Leptophis ahaetulla, one of the parrot snakes.

~~Greg~~

I would agree with Psuestes poecilonotus. Color is right and adults become patternless and the throat and belly are yellow.

Drymobious has a unicolor form (D. melanotropis) but it is bright green in color.

A good book to check is:

A GUIDE TO AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF COSTA RICA
ISBN 0-9705678-0-4

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Terry,

I agree with the ID of Pseustes. I have never seen one that pale, but the head shape of your snake just screams Pseustes.

Here is a pic of one from the Alvarez del Toro Zoo in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. Obviously it is much darker than your specimen, but the head morph is very similar.

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

the Bird Eating Snake; I caught one in Costa Rica in May, and your pictures look just like what I caught.