This gorgeous snake is a male TAIWANESE BEAUTY SNAKE, sometimes also known as the stripe-tailed rat snake due to its distinctively striped tail.  I find the first common name much more appropriate as I find this species absolutely beautiful!   He is named Goldie due to his gorgeous golden base colour!

All of these pictures were taken in my back garden during the lovely sunny weather in May 2011, I'm sure you will agree that he looks beautiful in the sunshine!  The picture below shows clearly why Taiwanese beauty snakes are also known as the stripe-tailed rat snake.

I hope you'll agree with me that his colouration and pattern are amazing, I just love the brightness of the yellowy gold base colour!

Like all snakes Goldie flicks out his tongue to smell his surroundings and I was really pleased to capture this on camera in the picture below, back when Goldie was a lot smaller (and less brightly coloured) than he is now!

Taiwanese beauty snakes are well known for being one of the fastest growing rat snakes in the world.  They are always a slender snake but they commonly reach in excess of  six feet (1.8m), with just below ten feet (about 3 metres) being an unofficial record for the species!  When I purchased Goldie in May 2010 he was only a few months old and weighed just 104g.  Just a year later in May 2011 he measured in excess of 6 feet in length and weighed more than 1kg!!  He is hugely popular with all the children he meets and is a firm regular in my Jungle Roadshow visits!