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Explore habitatA living atlas · Research release 01
Serpents
of the Philippines
Enter an archipelago shaped by isolation, deep time, and extraordinary reptile diversity.
141working occurrences
12families represented
2026taxonomy snapshot
Counts are computed from the research dataset, verified 5 September 2026.
Illustrative expedition artwork · not an identification record
The scientific collection
Every name is a hypothesis.
Every locality is evidence.
This first release preserves uncertainty instead of filling gaps. The collection reconciles a current taxonomic snapshot with the 2018 Philippine synthesis, while keeping changed names and rejected search records visible for expert review.
The master checklist
Explore the collection
Search accepted names, common names, synonyms, families, or islands explicitly named by the source.
Island evidence
Little filesnake
002Acrochordus granulatus
(SCHNEIDER 1799)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venom classification not yet addedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Balbalan Blind Snake
003Acutotyphlops banaorum
WALLACH, BROWN, DIESMOS & GEE 2007
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venom classification not yet addedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Gunther’s whip snake
004Ahaetulla prasina
(BOIE 1827)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Mildly venomousHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Blunthead Slug Snake
005Aplopeltura boa
(BOIE 1828)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venom classification not yet addedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Philippine Blunt-headed Cat Snake
006Boiga angulata
(PETERS 1861)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venomous · rear-fangedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Dog-toothed Cat Snake
007Boiga cynodon
(BOIE 1827)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venomous · rear-fangedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Gold-ringed Cat Snake
008Boiga dendrophila
(BOIE 1827)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venomous · rear-fangedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Neurotoxic · bird-selective denmotoxin (laboratory)
White-spotted Cat Snake
009Boiga drapiezii
(BOIE 1827)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venomous · rear-fangedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Philippine Cat Snake
010Boiga philippina
(PETERS 1867)
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venomous · rear-fangedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Schultz's Blunt-headedTree Snake
011Boiga schultzei
TAYLOR 1923
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venomous · rear-fangedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Alcala's Reed Snake
012Calamaria alcalai
WEINELL, LEVITON & BROWN 2020
- Length
- 37.4–51.5 cmTotal length · type series
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Luzon Dwarf Snake
013Calamaria bitorques
PETERS 1872
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Calamaria everetti
014Calamaria everetti
BOULENGER 1893
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Gervais’ Reed Snake
015Calamaria gervaisii
DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854
- Length
- 12.1–21.5 cm SVLBody length · measured series
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Jolo Worm Snake
016Calamaria joloensis
TAYLOR 1922
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Variable Reed Snake
017Calamaria lumbricoidea
BOIE 1827
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Palawan Worm Snake
018Calamaria palavanensis
INGER & MARX 1965
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Sulu Reed Snake; Yellow-bellied Reed Snake
019Calamaria suluensis
TAYLOR 1922
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Boie's Dwarf Snake
020Calamaria virgulata
BOIE 1827
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Non-venomousNon-venomous does not mean safe to handle
- Known venom effects
- Not applicable · non-venomous
Two-stripped Coral Snake
021Calliophis bilineatus
(PETERS 1881)
- Length
- ♀ 71.7 cm · ♂ 62 cmTotal length · largest examined by sex
- Venom status
- VenomousHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Philippine [banded or striped] Coral Snake
022Calliophis philippinus
(GÜNTHER 1864)
- Length
- ♂ 71.3 cm · ♀ 57.5 cmTotal length · largest examined by sex
- Venom status
- VenomousHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Dinagat Island Banded Coralsnake
023Calliophis salitan
BROWN, SMART, LEVITON & SMITH 2018
- Length
- 99.7 cmTotal length · adult holotype
- Venom status
- VenomousHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Sulu Islands Banded Coral Snake
024Calliophis suluensis
(STEINDACHNER 1891)
- Length
- ♂ 55.9 cm · ♀ 45.8 cmTotal length · largest examined by sex
- Venom status
- VenomousHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
Lake Buhi Bockadam
Cerberus microlepis
BOULENGER 1896
- Length
- Length not yet addedAtlas entry awaiting completion
- Venom status
- Venom classification not yet addedHuman effects: atlas summary awaiting completion
- Known venom effects
- Effects not yet summarised in this atlas
An archipelago of niches
From canopy
to open ocean
Discover the landscapes that shape a snake’s world: the light, water, shelter and living connections within them—and the pressures putting them at risk. Five illustrated guides take you closer.
Forest floor
Leaf litter, roots, fallen wood and soil hold a mosaic of sheltered spaces. Discover the living ground layer and the secretive snakes that use it.
Explore habitatMontane forest
Mountain slopes reshape temperature, exposure and vegetation. Explore mossy trunks, cloud-influenced forest and the differences between isolated mountain habitats.
Explore habitatRivers & wetlands
Forest streams, riverbanks, floodplains and lakes offer different kinds of freshwater habitat. Follow the water and discover how its margins change through the year.
Explore habitatMangrove to ocean
Tidal forests, shore refuges, reefs and open water are connected but distinct. Explore changing salinity and the different lives of sea kraits and fully aquatic sea snakes.
Explore habitatIslands of evolution
Geography is part of the specimen label.
Explore a geographically projected archipelago. Select an island to open its source-backed species index and continue into individual evidence records.
Philippines geographic atlasPSGC 2023 boundaries · geographic coordinates
4°N–21°N · 117°E–127°EIsland evidence pages
Choose any named island.
37dedicated island pages link every source-backed species record to its own detailed profile
Browse all island pages ↓Select a labelled island on the map, or use the complete index below. The land geometry is geographic; species counts remain limited to explicit island mentions in the current source text.Venom · evolutionary chemistry
A biological adaptation,
not a fear category.
Venom presence and medical significance are different claims. This release does not infer human danger from family membership, and species-level profiles remain unreviewed until clinical evidence is attached.
WHO snakebite guidance →Evidence, not certainty theatre
What we know has a shape.
So does what we do not.
Confirmed
Current listing aligned with the 2018 Philippines synthesis.
Supported
Current authoritative listing; primary-source review is still pending.
Provisional
Plausible finer-scale claim awaiting stronger evidence.
Rejected
A documented candidate contradicted by the current distribution evidence.
3search artifacts rejected, not erased
- Ahaetulla nasuta
- Dendrelaphis terrificus
- Rhinophis philippinus
The connected library