Common Mock Viper

     Psammodynastes pulverulentus pulverulentus (Boie, 1827) or the Common Mock Viper is another interesting species of snake that can be found in Palawan. A mock viper is a small, terrestrial snake belonging to the Colubridae family and is known all over Southeast Asia. It is found in a wide range of elevations in Palawan from lowland second growth forest to mountain slopes and ridges where it is active during night and day. It prefers the ground rather than trees and can oftentimes be seen near streams and rivers where it hunts for small lizards and frogs. This species is ovoviparous, the embryos develop inside the eggs which remain inside the mother where they hatch.

Common Mock Viper

    The mock viper got its common name from morphologically similar Malayan pit vipers, a member of the Viperidae renowned for their potent venom. Protective mimicry is common among herps and there are harmless species that have evolved to fool predators by mimicking inedible, poisonous or venomous species. The Common Mock Viper has the triangular head and cryptic color pattern similar to Malayan Pit Viper and when threatened, this species either attempt to flee or will become immobile and will adapt a pit viper like defensive coils. Mock vipers are only mildly venomous and are potentially harmless to humans and predators larger than themselves. It is said that their first line of defense are camouflage and their likely physical resemblance to vipers.