Who's That Pokemon? - #495 Tsutarja.

OK, you all TOTALLY saw this coming. Tsutarja and its serpentine company are my favorites in the new Generation. Snakes are my favorite animals in the world and, to my pleasure, Tsutarja's final form is as close to a naga as Pokemon will feasibly get.


Pokemon: Jaroda "japanese" by ~mark331 on deviantART

I wish I could truly fall in love with this one; it is easily my favorite line of the new generation, but its stats, while GREAT for a snake churned out by Nintendo, disappointed me in the end. They cannot make a single good snake. (Dragonair might count as an imugi, but I would not bet money on it.)

Even though it has the coloration of the North American Grass Snake, Tsutarja resembles a vine snake more than anything else. To be fair, even people in the exotic pet trade can get the two mixed up.


Oxybelis fulgidus. Note the schnoz.

As I said in my old (and crappy) Ahaetulla entry, there are several types of snake called 'vine snakes.' The genera labeled as such include Ahaetulla and Oxybelis. They are Old and New World vine snakes respectively and are native to the rain forest areas of their corresponding continents.


Ahaetulla nasuta - a nose so noticeable that science acknowledges it.

As with green tree pythons and emerald tree boas, there are some common features between New and Old World vine snakes. Both have very slender bodies, mild venom and pointed snouts. Luckily for you, only Ahaetulla has the eyes of Satan (which I totally want contacts of).


Gotta catch 'em- ARCEUS WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!

Most people have cited the Oxybelis vine snakes native to South America as the basis for Tsutarja's pointy snout. Really, both are equally likely, but it's probably the lack of 'eyes of death' that really make people suggest Oxybelis fulgidus as Tsutarja's real-life counterpart. Plus, the coloration comes fairly close:



I also swear that there's some Ahaetulla in Tsutarja's system, especially towards the end of the line. I can't believe that I've developed a favorite vine snake thanks to this little guy! (It's Ahaetulla prasina, BTW.) If this doesn't clinch it, I don't know what does.

BRB, I have real snakes to tend to.

Creature Feature: Asian Vine Snakes (Ahaetulla)

Sorry for the late post; Wisconsin Dells is not known for its plentiful Wi-Fi. It is, however, known for its amazing water parks and overpriced souvenirs.

Rushed vacation plans aside, let's have a quick look at the genus Ahaetulla. This genus is one of three dubbed "vine snakes," thus the additional bit of sciencey language in the title. They all look, well, botanical, but the snakes of Ahaetulla have stolen my attention as of late.

Ahaetulla covers a group of rear-fanged venomous colubrids native to many parts of Asia. They are commonly called 'whip snakes' or 'vine snakes' due to their arboreal natures and slender bodies. Their poison is not deadly to humans, and the location of their fangs in the back of their mouths makes for inefficient delivery.

What interested me about them was not their camouflage nor their venomous potential. Call it a subtlety from working with reptiles, but these guys have particularly interesting faces. Whip snakes are among the few reptiles blessed with binocular vision...

...via an almost mammalian, triangular face and keyhole-shaped pupils. Seriously, just look at the face on this snake! Goats have their work cut out for them; the vine snake could pull Baphomet off just as well, and would make a nice dragon base. Hey, if no one else has done it, I will just have to do it myself.