mussurana

snake

Also known as: Clelia clelia, musurana

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

mussurana, tropical American rear-fanged snake of the family Colubridae. The mussurana preys on both rodents, which it kills with its venom, and on other snakes, which it kills by constriction. It is largely immune to the venom of members of the genus Bothrops (fer-de-lance and allies), its chief prey. The mussurana may be 2.1 m (about 7 feet) long. Adults are blue-black or brown, with a white belly stripe; the young are pink, with dark head and collar.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

mussurana

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