Madagascar Cat Snake

For many weeks in Andava, I was confused by numerous tracks in the sand around the huts and up on the dune near the huts. The tracks were continuous wavy lines, so they really appeared to be made by a snake, but they lacked the classic crests on the edges where the snake would push off. Plus I hadn’t seen any other signs of snakes – no basking, no sheds, and no locals mentioning them.

Then in the last week, I was wandering up on the dune and spotted this little guy in the one tree…

So there definitely are snakes in the area. I tried to do some searching to find a species name, and I think it is definitely in the Madagascarophis family, but I’m not sure if it is Madagascarophis colubrinus (there is a citrinus sub-species that I’d guess might be based on the yellow coloration here) but I also found a site with a couple photos of a snake that I’d say match this one, and it is labeled as Madagascarophis meridionalis. Maybe I should go back so I can get a positive ID.

Oh, and for those of us who were there when they told us that there are no venomous snakes in Madagascar… these guys are apparently rear-fanged snakes and are indeed venomous. Probably a good thing I resisted the urge to want to see if I could pickup this snake, huh?