10 Unusual Animals That Are Beautiful In Their Weirdness

3. For the most part, I am not a fan of danger noodles, nope ropes, snakes, whatever you call them. Sunbeam snake, (genus Xenopeltis), any of two species of primitive, nonvenomous, burrowing snakes of family Xenopeltidae distributed geographically from Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the Philippines. Sunbeam snakes belong to a single genus (Xenopeltis) and are characterized by smooth, glossy, iridescent scales. The coloration of Xenopeltis is chocolate-brown or purplish black above and white below. It has a small, depressed head, cylindrical body, and an average length of 1 metre (3 feet)—although some individuals may grow to 1.3 metres (about 4 feet). Of the two species, X. unicolor is more widespread and better known, whereas X. hainanensis is limited to isolated pockets in southeastern China.