The many-spotted cat snake

A spotted cat snake is seen resting in the woods in Meilin, Futian District. 

Probably one of the most beautiful snakes you can find in Shenzhen, the many-spotted cat snake (Boiga multomaculata), is a fairly small reptile with an average length of 50 cm. You will recognize it by its striking brownish color and the large oval spots all over its body.

繁花林蛇是深圳最美丽的本土蛇类之一。它体型较小，平均体长50厘米，体色棕红，全身遍布金钱状环形斑纹。

The head of the cat snake has a triangular shape that clearly differentiates from the body and it has a really beautiful arrow head shaped mark that goes all over the head from the neck to the snout. Their eyes are big compared to the size of the head and the pupils are vertical, similar to viper snakes.

A spotted cat snake is seen resting in the woods in Meilin, Futian District. 

繁花林蛇的头部呈与身体有明显分界的三角形，头上有一片形似箭簇的矛状斑纹，从吻部一直延伸到颈部。和头部比起来，它的眼睛显得非常大，瞳孔细长，与蝮蛇相似。

Spotted cat snakes are a nocturnal species that mostly spend time in the bushes waiting for a small frog or a gecko to pass by. They will contract their bodies into a fabulous S shape before striking, hit their prey with their rear fangs and then inject paralyzing venom into the prey.

繁花林蛇昼伏夜出，喜欢隐藏在灌木从中伏击蛙类、蜥蜴等小型动物。发动攻击的时候，它们会将身体弓成“S”形，抓住猎物后用尖锐的后槽牙注入毒液，使其失去行动能力。

A spotted cat snake is seen resting in the woods in Meilin, Futian District. 

Despite being a venomous snake, cat snakes don’t present a threat to humans, since their venom does not affect humans in any possible way. Cat snakes are not an aggressive species. They are calm unless bothered.

这种蛇的毒性微弱，对人类不会造成生命威胁。同时，它们的性情也比较温顺，在未被打扰的情况下一般不会主动发动攻击。

The rapid growth of the cities and the human intervention in forestry areas are a real threat to snakes. It is important to protect these fantastic animals that play a significant role in the dynamics of our environment by controlling other animals’ populations and by acting as a link in the complex food chain of our urban ecosystems.

城市发展迅速，人类活动影响森林环境，导致蛇类生存受到威胁。作为维持生态平衡的重要成员，蛇类既控制了其他物种种群的数量，也扮演了城市生境复杂营养网络中的重要一环，因此，它们亟需我们的保护。