Dendrophidion percarinatum, commonly known as the South American forest racer, is a snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in forests in Central and northern South America.
Dendrophidion percarinatum is a forest snake that lives on the forest floor. Its size varies from . It has 147 to 170 ventral scales, 84 to 106 dorsal scales, and 133 to 164 subcaudal scales. One main characteristic is the presence of a divided anal plate. Its coloration is dark brown or gray dorsally, with a lighter, cream color on its underbelly. Additionally, on its dorsal side, it has black cross bars with light dots that cover most of the snake´s body.
Geographic distribution: Dendrophidion percarinatum is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, with the population in Venezuela believed to be a distinct population from the rest of the range. It is normally found at elevations <1000 m but has been found up to 1200 m in southwestern Costa Rica.
Behavior: Dendrophidion percarinatum is a diurnal and semi-arboreal snake that primarily consumes frogs, lizards, and other small animals that live in the leaf litter present on the forest floor.
Reproduction: Dendrophidion percarinatum is oviparous, and has an average clutch size of 3 to 6 eggs.
Source: Wikipedia, article Dendrophidion percarinatum.
Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Accessed on 18/07/2026.