Cyclophiops major: the Blessing and Curse of Appearing Green

Visitors entering Shennongjia cannot help but marvel at its beauty and mystery. Vast, impenetrable seas of towering trees, flowers and plants so diverse they would leave the world's most learned botanists speechless, and enchanting local legends—all beckon you to release your soul into this ethereal paradise, gradually becoming mesmerized by this pristine wilderness embodying grandeur, elegance, serenity, and untamed nature.

“Wow~ A venomous snake!” A sharp scream jolts the mesmerized tourists back to reality, sending waves of panic through the crowd. “Quick, move away! Be careful not to get bitten. That green snake is venomous!”

Thump. A green snake lying coiled in the roadside grass is struck hard with a stick, sending it tumbling into the undergrowth. It writhes in agony, twisting and knotting itself like a rope. Yet the stick swings again, carving arcs through the air, crashing down relentlessly until the snake lies motionless.

But its death was undeserved.

This green snake bears a striking resemblance to the venomous Trimersurus species, both adorned in vivid emerald. But it was only a Cyclophiops major—a non-venomous colubrid belonging to the family Colubridae, within the suborder Serpentes of the order Squamata, class Reptilia. Lacking fangs in such a perilous environment, it adapted through mimicry: imitating the Trimersurus’s coloring to intimidate and deceive predators. Though skilled at disguise, this very adaptation often leads to its tragic misidentification and untimely end.

Don’t be fooled by its size—Cyclophiops major is remarkably gentle-tempered and harmless. Its head isn't triangular like a viper’s, but oval; its body sleek and unpatterned, its tail slender. Often found in forests spanning plains, hills, and mountains, these snakes thrive throughout Shennongjia’s expansive woodlands. Timid by nature, they neither attack other animals nor bite humans. On hot, rainy summer days, they rest quietly coiled on branches, descending only when night brings cooler temperatures to hunt earthworms and insects in fields or along the forest floor. Before winter arrives, they seek shelter to hibernate, reemerging each spring to continue their lineage in these ancient woods.

“Hey, look! Is that a venomous snake coiled up on the branch?” “No worries—it’s just a harmless Cyclophiops major!”（Written by Tianyuan; Photo by Keven Messenger and Internet)

Profile:

Scientific Name:Cyclophiops major

Order:Squamata

Family:Colubridae

Genus:Cyclophiops

Key Identifiers:

The head is oval-shaped and slightly pointed, with large scales on the head. The eyes are large and black, with round pupils. The body is relatively slender and cylindrical, transitioning into a long tail. The entire body is emerald green, while the ventral side is yellowish-green.

Distribution in China:

The species is distributed across the country except for Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Xizang.