Toxicodryas blandingii

Toxicodryas blandingii
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Toxicodryas
Species:	T. blandingii
Binomial name
	Toxicodryas blandingii; (Hallowell, 1844)
Synonyms
	Dipsas blandingii; Hallowell, 1844; Toxicodryas blandingii; Hallowell, 1857; Dipsadomorphus blandingii; F. Werner, 1899; Boiga blandingii; Schmidt, 1923; Toxicodryas blandingii; Wallach et al., 2014;

Last updated March 17, 2025

Toxicodryas blandingii, commonly known as **Blanding's cat snake** and **Blanding's tree snake**, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, blandingii, is in honor of William Blanding (1772–1857), an American physician and naturalist.^[3]

Geographic range

T. blandingii is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of T. blandingii are forest and savanna, at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft). However, it is also found in gardens, parks, and in and around houses.^[1]

Description

T. blandingii is a long and slender species. The longest specimen measured by Boulenger (1896) had a total length of 2.2 m (7.2 ft), including a tail 0.5 m (1.6 ft) long.

Diet

T. blandingii preys upon lizards including dwarf chameleons, small mammals including bats, and birds.^[1]

Reproduction

T. blandingii is oviparous.^[2] Clutch size is 7–14 eggs.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 Rödel, M-O.; Luiselli, L; Segniagbeto, G; Howell, K; Msuya, C.A.; Ngalason, W. (2021). "Toxicodryas blandingii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T13265740A13265749.en . Retrieved 14 March 2023.
1 2 3 Species Toxicodryas blandingii at The Reptile Database
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.

Boulenger, G.A. (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ)... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). pp. 77–78.
Hallowell, E. (1844). "Descriptions of New Species of African Reptiles". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 2: 170–171.
Nagy, Z.T.; Kusamba, C.; Tungaluna, G.G.; Lokasola, A.L.; Kolby, J.; Kielgast, J. (2011). "Foraging acrobatics of Toxicodryas blandingii in the Democratic Republic of the Congo". Herpetology Notes. 4: 91–92.
Pauwels, O.S.G.; Vogel, G. (2011). "Ein Fall von Thanatose (Totstellreflex) bei Boiga blandingii (Squamata, Serpentes, Colubridae) in Gabun" [A case of thanatosis (play-dead reflex) in Boiga blandingii (Squamata, Serpentes, Colubridae) in Gabon]. Elaphe (in German). 19 (4): 24–25.
Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Hinkel, H.; Menegon, M. (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. p. 511. ISBN 978-1472935618.

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[iucn-1] 1 2 3 4 Rödel, M-O.; Luiselli, L; Segniagbeto, G; Howell, K; Msuya, C.A.; Ngalason, W. (2021). "Toxicodryas blandingii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T13265740A13265749.en . Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[RDB-2] 1 2 3 Species Toxicodryas blandingii at The Reptile Database

[3] Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.

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