FLYING SNAKE

any of three species of snakes constituting the genus Chrysopelea of the family Colubridae. These slender arboreal snakes, found in South Asia and the Indonesian archipelago, are able to glide short distances through the air by straightening the body and drawing up the ventral scales to make the underside concave. They are active by day, capturing rodents, bats, birds, and lizards. Chrysopelea ornata of India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), sometimes called golden tree snake, is up to 100 cm (40 inches) long and usually black or greenish, with yellow or reddish markings.