Good news for wildlife enthusiasts, especially reptile observers!

Recently, we have a new neighbor! You can probably guess from the title, hehe.

Yes, that’s right, our new neighbor is Tropidolaemus wagleri!

What is it?

Ular bulan (moon snake), that’s what the locals call it. This snake has beautiful and quite striking colors. The color variations of this snake are yellow-white-black, greenish-yellow-white-black, or green-white with red lines. The males are slimmer compared to the females. This wagleri can be found in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. This snake is quite commonly encountered in Indonesia, especially in Sumatra and the surrounding islands. They inhabit lowlands around 1000 meters above sea level, usually near water. Moon snakes are arboreal animals or engage in activities above trees. They are active from night until early morning, feeding small animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles.

male wagleri (source: http://ularindonesian.blogspot.com/p/tropidolaemus-wagleri.html)

They tend to stay still and not move much, but you should be careful when encountering this snake because they are venomous. They usually stay in the same branch or branch for a few days. After that, they move to find prey elsewhere. It’s been a few weeks since this snake has been in Ecolodge Bukit Lawang; maybe it will move to another place when the time comes.

So, are you one of the lucky ones to see our temporary neighbor?