biology

Trimeresurus sumatranus

Trimeresurus sumatranus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Trimeresurus sumatranus rather than just read about it. In short: Trimeresurus sumatranus is a species of venomous pitviper (a subfamily of vipers within the larger Viperidae family) found in the tropical forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Arboreal by nature, its coloration is pale to neon-green, with some black vertical markings, and a red-tipped tail.

Key takeaways

Trimeresurus sumatranus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Trimeresurus sumatranus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Trimeresurus sumatranus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Trimeresurus sumatranus is a species of venomous pitviper (a subfamily of vipers within the larger Viperidae family) found in the tropical forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Arboreal by nature, its coloration is pale to neon-green, with some black vertical markings, and a red-tipped tail. As with other vipers, this species has prominent, "keeled" scales, which appear somewhat raised and give the snake a rough-textured appearance. Common names include Sumatran pitviper, Sumatran tree viper, and Sumatran pit viper.

Description Trimeresurus sumatranus is a large heavy-bodied pitviper, with a prehensile tail. Adults may attain 1.6 metres (5 feet 3 inches) SVL (snout–vent length), with fangs over 10 mm (3⁄8 in) long. It is an arboreal species that is pale green in color with a red tail. The dorsal scales are edged with black, which may form crossbands in more mature specimens. There is a white or yellow stripe on each side along the first row of dorsal scales. Ventrally it is greenish or yellowish, and the ventral scales may be thinly edged with black. Scalation includes 21 (23) rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 183–190/182–191 ventral scales in males/females, 57–66/55–64 subcaudal scales in males/females, and 8–10 supralabial scales.

Habitat In Borneo it inhabits lowland forests at elevations below 800 meters (2,600 feet).

Behavior It is nocturnal, climbing onto low branches to hunt its prey.

Diet The diet consists mainly of arboreal small mammals, birds, and tree frogs.

Geographic range Found in southern Thailand, West and East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo) and Indonesia (Bangka, Billiton, Borneo, Sumatra and the nearby islands of Simalur, Nias, and possibly the Mentawai Islands [Sipora]). The type locality given is "Sumatra." According to Gumprecht et al. (2004), the records regarding its occurrence in the Mentawai Islands are probably based on T. hageni.

Venom Because it is a large snake with large fangs, Trimeresurus sumatranus can inject large quantities of venom. Fatalities from its bite have been reported, and it should be considered extremely dangerous.

References

Further reading Raffles, T.S. 1822. Second Part of the Descriptive Catalogue of a Zoological Collection made in [sic] the Island of Sumatra and its vicinity. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 13 (2): 277-340. (Coluber sumatranus, p. 334.)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Trimeresurus sumatranus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Trimeresurus sumatranus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Trimeresurus sumatranus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Trimeresurus sumatranus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Trimeresurus sumatranus

In research: Trimeresurus sumatranus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Trimeresurus sumatranus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Trimeresurus sumatranus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fauna of Sumatra, IUCN Red List least concern species, Reptiles described in 1822, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Trimeresurus sumatranus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Trimeresurus sumatranus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Trimeresurus sumatranus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Trimeresurus sumatranus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Trimeresurus sumatranus in simple terms?

Why does Trimeresurus sumatranus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Trimeresurus sumatranus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Trimeresurus sumatranus.