NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
(Paradise Flying Snake
Chrysopelea paradisi Boie, 1827
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
paradise tree snake or Flying Snake. Singapore Zoo.
Alan Couch from Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Paradise tree snake, paradise flying snake or garden flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia. It can, like all species of its genus Chrysopelea, glide by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. It is mostly found in moist forests and can cover a horizontal distance of 10 meters (33 feet) or more in a glide from the top of a tree. Slow motion photography shows an undulation of the snake's body in flight while the head remains relatively stable, suggesting controlled flight. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs and also can constrict their prey, which consists of mostly lizards and bats.
Wikipedia contributors, Chrysopelea paradisi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:00:04.295206+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chrysopelea paradisi Boie, 1827
- Name authority
- Boie, 1827
- Common name
- (Paradise Flying Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Chrysopelea
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyColubridae
- genusChrysopelea
- speciesChrysopelea paradisi Boie, 1827
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chrysopelea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Moluccan Flying SnakeChrysopelea rhodopleuron Boie, 1827 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Golden Flying SnakeChrysopelea ornata (Shaw, 1802) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Banded Flying SnakeChrysopelea pelias (Linnaeus, 1758) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Indian Flying SnakeChrysopelea taprobanica Smith, 1943 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chrysopelea paradisi variabilis Mertens, 1968 Mertens, 1968 | ambiguous synonym |
| Chrysopelea paradisi celebensis Mertens, 1968 Mertens, 1968 | ambiguous synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Chrysopelea&species=paradisi Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5YQX8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.