‘Snake-viator’ Found at Honolulu Air Base

While reading USA Today on my iPad yesterday, I got a news alert from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. It seems that the military found a flying snake at Pearl Harbor-Hickam Airfield.

Well, okay, it’s not an actual flying snake, rather it was a juvenile “Ornate Tree Snake” (Chrysopelea ornate), aka a flying tree snake, aka a golden tree snake. The squirmy bugger was about a foot-long and apparently hitched a ride from Guam. It’s now in the hands of the Hawaii State Dept. of Agriculture.

I learned that the flying snake is a relative of the brown tree snake, well known for wiping out the bird population of the U.S. island territory of Guam. Why “flying”? Because they can launch themselves between trees.

~ Photo from Honolulu Star-Advertiser News Alert

It’s actually very pretty, although I suppose ophidiophobes (people who don’t like snakes) would argue otherwise. But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Even Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes. But if you’re smart, you won’t mess with the flying snakes … they’re a bit venomous.

I’ll just stand to the side and admire pictures (or the actual animal) of the snake aviator … what I’ll call a “snake-viator.”