Snakes alive -- green boa gives birth to red babies

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2006

PARIS (AFP) — An emerald tree boa, an endangered tropical snake famous for its brilliant green colouring, has given birth for the first time in France, a zoo at Romaneche-Thorins, in the centre of the country, has said. The 10 offspring, born at the Touroparc zoological park on Monday, are all brick red -- a natural defence mechanism to ward off predators -- but will turn green at the age of around six months, said the park's herpetologist, Fabrice Thete.

The emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) lives in the rainforests of Brazil, French Guiana and Suriname, where it is threatened by logging. © 2006 AFP