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What the sources say

Paradise Flying SnakeChrysopelea paradisi

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Paradise Flying Snake profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 46 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Encyclopedia Britannica

Flying snake. Encyclopedia Britannica.

The page saysgrows up to 91 centimetres (36 inches) long
The source saysgrows to 91 cm (36 inches) in length
The page saysChrysopelea, a genus of five slender tree snakes found in South Asia and the Indonesian archipelago
The source saysany of five species of nonvenomous snakes constituting the genus Chrysopelea in the family Colubridae. These slender arboreal snakes are found in South Asia and the Indonesian archipelago
The page saysthe genus Chrysopelea is classed as nonvenomous
The source saysany of five species of nonvenomous snakes constituting the genus Chrysopelea
The page saysFlying snakes hunt by day, taking rodents, bats, birds, and lizards
The source saysFlying snakes are active by day, capturing rodents, bats, birds, and lizardsNote: genus scope, so the sentence says flying snakes
The page saysFlying snakes as a group take rodents, bats, birds, and lizards, by day
The source saysFlying snakes are active by day, capturing rodents, bats, birds, and lizardsNote: backs stats.diet; genus scope, so the stat says flying snakes as a group
The page saysThe Moluccan flying snake is the largest, reaching 120 cm (47 inches); the golden flying snake can reach 100 cm; the paradise flying snake tops out at 91 cm (36 inches); the Indian flying snake runs 60 to 90 cm; and the banded flying snake is the smallest, with a maximum length of 75 cm
The source saysThe Moluccan flying snake ... is the largest species, growing to a maximum length of 120 cm (47 inches). The golden flying snake (C. ornata) ... can reach as much as 100 cm (40 inches) long ... The paradise tree snake (C. paradisi) ... grows to 91 cm (36 inches) in length ... The Indian flying snake (C. taprobanica) ... ranging from 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 inches). The banded flying snake (C. pelias) ... is the smallest of the five species, with a maximum length of 75 cm (30 inches)
The page saysFive, in the genus Chrysopelea
The source saysany of five species of nonvenomous snakes constituting the genus Chrysopelea

Source
02

The Reptile Database

Chrysopelea paradisi. The Reptile Database.

The page saysthis species lays eggs
The source saysReproduction oviparousNote: oviparous is plain-languaged as 'lays eggs'
The page saysThe paradise flying snake is fully arboreal
The source saysHabitat: fully arboreal
The page saysIts range takes in Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, India's Andaman Islands, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Singapore
The source saysThailand (incl. Phuket) Indonesia (Bangka, Belitung, Java, Mentawai Archipelago, Natuna Archipelago, Nias, Riau Archipelago, Sumatra, We, Borneo, Sulawesi, Bali); Brunei Darussalam; India (Andaman Islands); Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia, Pulau Pangkor); Myanmar (Burma) Philippines (including Sulu Archipelago, Negros Oriental, Panay, Luzon, Cebu, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Island); Singapore
The page saysthree subspecies are recognised
The source saysSubspecies Chrysopelea paradisi paradisi BOIE 1827 Chrysopelea paradisi celebensis MERTENS 1968 Chrysopelea paradisi variabilis MERTENS 1968
The page saysFully arboreal, from Thailand and India's Andaman Islands through Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines
The source saysHabitat: fully arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018)Note: backs stats.habitat; the range is the reptile-db distribution claim in the body

Source
03

Noor Faradiana Binti Md Fauzi & Mohammad Shahfiz Azman 2023

Noor Faradiana Binti Md Fauzi & Mohammad Shahfiz Azman (2023). Chrysopelea paradisi (Boie, 1827). Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS).

The page saystags: rainforest
The source saysThis diurnal and arboreal species inhabits forested habitats in lowland and submontane areas that elevate up to 1,500 mNote: Malaysian lowland and submontane forest (#908)
The page saystags: jungle
The source saysThis diurnal and arboreal species inhabits forested habitats in lowland and submontane areas that elevate up to 1,500 mNote: kept: sole carrier of /tags/jungle/ (#908)

Source
04

Vogel, Wogan, Diesmos, Gonzalez & Inger 2011

Vogel, Wogan, Diesmos, Gonzalez & Inger (2011). Chrysopelea paradisi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The page saysThe IUCN Red List, in an assessment published in 2011, rates it Least Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC)Note: Crossref issued 2011-08-30 for the assessment DOI; GBIF's copy is the current category

Source
05

Socha 2002

Socha (2002). Gliding flight in the paradise tree snake. Nature.

The page saysDespite an apparent lack of control surfaces, it can exert remarkable control over the direction it takes
The source saysit can exert remarkable control over the direction it takes, despite an apparent lack of control surfaces
The page saysIt has no wings or any other obvious body part built for flight.
The source saysflying snakes (genus Chrysopelea) have no such appendages or other obvious morphological specializations to assist them in their aerial movementsNote: genus-scope line (flying snakes have no such appendages), true of this species as a member

Source
06

Socha, O'Dempsey & LaBarbera 2005

Socha, O'Dempsey & LaBarbera (2005). A 3-D kinematic analysis of gliding in a flying snake,Chrysopelea paradisi. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page sayssnakes launched from a branch 9.62 metres up travelled a mean horizontal distance of 10.14 metres and reached an average airspeed of 10 metres per second, and the shallowest glide angle recorded was 13 degrees
The source saysjumped from a horizontal branch at a height of 9.62 m and landed in an open field ... Snakes traveled a horizontal distance of 10.14±2.69 m (mean ± s.d.) while reaching an airspeed of 10.0±0.9 m s-1 ... with a minimum recorded glide angle of 13°
The page saysfigures the researchers say rival or beat familiar gliders such as flying squirrels
The source saysC. paradisi are surprisingly good gliders given their unconventional locomotor style, with performance characteristics that rival or surpass more familiar gliding taxa such as flying squirrels
The page saysA study that filmed its glides with two cameras and reconstructed them in three dimensions
The source saysTwo videocameras arranged in stereo were used to record head, midpoint and vent landmarks on snakes that jumped from a horizontal branch at a height of 9.62 m and landed in an open field. The coordinates of these landmarks were reconstructed in three dimensions
The page saysin the dive it bends from a generally straight posture into a wide S-shape and begins aerial undulation, sending high, rippling waves back down its body toward the tail
The source saysthe snake changed posture from generally straight to a wide `S' shape in planview and began aerial undulation ... Aerial undulation, in which high-amplitude traveling waves pass posteriorly down the body, was a prominent locomotor behavior
The page saysby mid-glide the front of its body stays roughly parallel with the ground while the rear cycles up and down
The source saysIn mid-glide, this undulation occurred with the anterior body oriented approximately parallel with the ground and the posterior body cycling up and down in the vertical plane
The page saysit bends into a wide S-shape and sends waves down its body
The source saysthe snake changed posture from generally straight to a wide `S' shape in planview and began aerial undulation ... Aerial undulation, in which high-amplitude traveling waves pass posteriorly down the body, was a prominent locomotor behaviorNote: vibe.reason (#908)
The page saysa glide reaching an airspeed of 10 metres a second
The source saysreaching an airspeed of 10.0±0.9 m s-1Note: vibe.reason (#908)

Source
07

Socha 2011

Socha (2011). Gliding Flight in Chrysopelea: Turning a Snake into a Wing. Integrative and Comparative Biology.

The page saysit can maneuver and land either on the ground or on vegetation
The source saysChrysopelea paradisi can also maneuver and land either on the ground or on vegetation

Source
08

Socha 2006

Socha (2006). Becoming airborne without legs: the kinematics of take-off in a flying snake,Chrysopelea paradisi. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysFilmed taking off from a branch, the snakes mostly used vertically looped "J-loop" takeoffs, which researchers call the only true jumping in snakes
The source saysI videotaped multiple views of take-off from a horizontal branch ... In most observed take-offs, snakes used a vertically looped take-off (termed 'anchored J-loop' and 'sliding J-loop'), which represent the only true jumping in snakes
The page saysIn the commonest, the anchored J-loop, the snake hangs the front of its body in a loop, then holds its rear body still on the branch and accelerates up and away.
The source saysIn an anchored J-loop take-off, the snake formed an anterior hanging loop and then jumped by holding the posterior body static on the branch and accelerating up and away from the branch. This was the most commonly used take-off mode.

Source
09

Holden et al. 2014

Holden et al. (2014). Aerodynamics of the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi: how a bluff body cross-sectional shape contributes to gliding performance. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page sayswhen it glides it splays its ribs outward and flattens its round body from top to bottom, turning its cross-section from round to triangular
The source saysWhen gliding, the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi morphs its circular cross-section into a triangular shape by splaying its ribs and flattening its body in the dorsoventral axis
The page saysWater-tunnel tests of a model of that shape
The source saysWe used a straight physical model in a water tunnel to isolate the effects of 2D shape
The page saysfound a higher maximum lift than many other shapes, airfoils among them, and relatively high lift even at a 60-degree angle of attack
The source saysthis geometry generated significantly larger maximum lift coefficients than many other shapes including bluff bodies, thick airfoils, symmetric airfoils and circular arc airfoils ... exhibited a gentle stall region that maintained relatively high lift production even up to the highest angle of attack tested (60 deg)
The page saysthe highest angle the researchers tested
The source saysthe highest angle of attack tested (60 deg)
The page saysThe tree-dwelling serpent that splays its ribs and flattens its body into a triangular lifting surface when it glides.
The source saysthe unique cross-sectional shape of the body, which acts as the lifting surface in the absence of wings. When gliding, the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi morphs its circular cross-section into a triangular shape by splaying its ribs and flattening its body in the dorsoventral axisNote: backs the tagline; 'tree-dwelling' is reptile-db 'fully arboreal'
The page saysSplays its ribs and flattens its body into a triangular cross-section that acts as the lifting surface in place of wings
The source saysthe unique cross-sectional shape of the body, which acts as the lifting surface in the absence of wings. When gliding, the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi morphs its circular cross-section into a triangular shape by splaying its ribs and flattening its body in the dorsoventral axisNote: backs stats.superpower
The page saysIts body becomes the lifting surface.
The source saysthe unique cross-sectional shape of the body, which acts as the lifting surface in the absence of wings
The page saysA water-tunnel study of a model of that shape
The source saysWe used a straight physical model in a water tunnel to isolate the effects of 2D shape
The page saysa maximum lift coefficient of 1.9 and a maximum lift-to-drag ratio of 2.7
The source saysThe snake's cross-sectional shape produced a maximum lift coefficient of 1.9 and maximum lift-to-drag ratio of 2.7
The page sayslarger than many other shapes, including thick, symmetric and circular-arc airfoils
The source saysthis geometry generated significantly larger maximum lift coefficients than many other shapes including bluff bodies, thick airfoils, symmetric airfoils and circular arc airfoils
The page saysBy splaying its ribs and flattening itself from top to bottom, it swaps a round cross-section for a triangular one.
The source saysthe flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi morphs its circular cross-section into a triangular shape by splaying its ribs and flattening its body in the dorsoventral axis

Source
10

Zamore, Araujo & Socha 2020

Zamore, Araujo & Socha (2020). Visual Acuity in the Flying Snake, Chrysopelea paradisi. Integrative And Comparative Biology.

The page saysFlying snakes make visual assessments before take-off
The source saysFlying snakes (genus: Chrysopelea) are capable of gliding at speeds up to 11 m s-1 and perform visual assessments before take-offNote: genus scope, so the sentence says flying snakes
The page sayshead models suggest this species likely has a field of view of about 308.5 degrees, with a considerable zone of binocular vision that extends overhead
The source saysC. paradisi likely has a large field of view (308.5 ± 6.5° azimuthal range), with a considerable binocular region (33.0 ± 11.0° azimuthal width) that extends overhead

Source
11

Tan et al. 2012

Tan et al. (2012). Bitten by the “Flying” Tree Snake, Chrysopelea Paradisi. The Journal of Emergency Medicine.

The page sayscarrying fangs at the back of its jaw
The source saysThe paradise tree snake, Chrysopelea paradisi, is a rear-fanged colubrid.
The page saysa 16-year-old with bite marks and moderate pain on one finger: the patient showed no evidence of significant local or systemic envenomation, and had a transient change in the blood-clotting tests
The source saysA 16-year-old military college student presented to the Emergency Department (ED) of an urban teaching hospital 2 h after being bitten by C. paradisi. There were multiple bite marks and the patient reported moderate pain on the left index finger. There was no evidence of significant local or systemic envenomation. A transient prolonged coagulation profile and raised creatine kinase level were noted.Note: 'blood-clotting tests' plain-languages 'coagulation profile'
The page saysIts authors say the full effects of this snake's bite remain uncharacterized.
The source saysThe full effects of a bite from C. paradisi remain uncharacterized.
The page saysOne Bite, Mild Effects
The source saysThis case featured only mild local effect.Note: heading; scoped to the one case by 'One Bite'
The page saysdangerLevel: Low
The source saysThere was no evidence of significant local or systemic envenomationNote: The only case report: moderate pain and 'only mild local effect'. Britannica calls the genus nonvenomous; MyBIS 'mild venom for humans'. Low, not Medium (#908).
The page saysdangerLevel: Low
The source saysThis case featured only mild local effect

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.