ZSL London Zoo breeds rare ‘rhino’ snake for the first time
Friday 21 November 2008
Keepers have captured the moment a rare rhino rat snake emerges from its shell at ZSL London Zoo.
© Ferry van Stralen
This is the first time this species of snake (Rhynchophis boulengeri) which originates from the mountains of Vietnam has been bred in a European Zoo.
ZSL London Zoo’s Reptile House managed to produce a clutch of eight snakes, three of which have now gone to different collections as part of an exchange program to increase the captive population in European zoos.
The reptiles, which are often nicknamed ‘green unicorns’ because of their horn like features, will turn green when they reach around one year of age.
The snakes will reach a metre long and feed on geckos, frogs and rodents.
