Indochinese Rat Snake Non Venomous Not Dangerous

Transcription

1 Indochinese Rat Snake Non Venomous Not Dangerous Extra beautiful after hatching the Indo-Chinese rat snake juvenile doesn t resemble most of the adults which turn dark brown, grey, or black as they mature. [Last updated: 10 May 2017] Ptyas korros (Indo-Chinese Rat Snake) Thais say: (ngoo sing baan) Length: Adults are just over 1 meter, but can reach near 2 meters. Range: All over Thailand and most of Asia including: Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Western Malaysia, and Singapore. Habitat: Anywhere rats and lizards exist in abundance. They aren t found on hills or in mountains, usually just the lowlying areas and where people and garbage are.

2 Active Time? Diurnal active during daylight hours. Food: Rats and other rodents, frogs and lizards. Much prefer rats. These are primarily rodent eaters and they vary little from their diet because there are usually plenty of rats or other rodents available. Defensive Behavior: Will flee very quickly if given the chance. If agitated, rat snakes bite quickly. Some of them will calm down enough that they can be free-handled without repetitive bites. Venom Toxicity: No venom that is harmful to humans. Offspring: Eggs which hatch in early to middle May in Krabi, Thailand. Notes: These are very common snakes, and are seen a lot because they prefer to be active during the daylight hours. They have very large eyes, which would make one think they can see well at night as well. These snakes can be held without striking (see video below). Ptyas korros can be silver, grey, or brown orange looking in color. Scales on the posterior part of the body and on the tail often yellow and edged with black. Underbelly is light yellow. Juvenile Indochinese rat snakes have a transverse series of round whitish spots or narrow yellow transverse bars. Ptyas korros Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Colubridae Genus: Ptyas

3 Species: P. korros Binomial name: Ptyas korros (Classified by Schlegel in year 1837.) Ptyas korros Non Venomous Not Dangerous My Indochinese Rat Snake Photos: Indochinese rat snakes eat predominantly rats and other rodents. Another photo, showing same snake but darker exposure. It looks more brown toward the tail: Indochinese rat snakes are silver, black, grey, brown, or orange in color. Indo-Chinese Rat Snake Video: Juvenile Indo-Chinese Rat Snake Video

4 Malayan Bridle Snake Non Venomous Not Dangerous [Last updated 10 May 2017] Malayan Bridle Snake Dryocalamus subannulatus Length: 70 cm Description: This is a thin snake less than the thickness of a finger. It has a light yellow mask and comes in one of two color pattern variations. Shown here is the pattern with a brown background and longitudinal stripes running from neck to tail. There is one along the vertebral ridge and one on each side. The eyes of this snake are rather large compared to the very small head. The head is slightly smaller than the neck of the snake. There are two very small rear-fangs seen upon inspection of the mouth. The head of this snake is not elongated in a long triangle like the Lycodon family of snakes which is one way to tell the difference. Range: Thailand s southern provinces. This snake was found in Krabi province at 450 meters elevation at 2200 hours two meters high on a thick tree covered with moss (see photo below). I have also found them at 200 meters elevation in evergreen forest and around 100 meters on a sloped rock face. Habitat: Bushes, trees, and dwellings. This snake is not as common as the Laotian Wolf Snake, but likes the same kind of habitat but is usually climbing on something. It searches trees and structures for geckos primarily. They are excellent

5 climbers and love vines and light brush. Active Time? Usually nocturnal. Food: Small geckos and frogs primarily. Defensive Behavior: I have yet to see this snake strike, even after handling a half-dozen of them. Usually they are very calm. Venom Toxicity: Weak or none. Ineffective for humans if there is any venom. The fangs are quite small less than the diameter of a regular stick pin. Offspring: Nothing known about this area. Notes: These are great snakes for first time snake hobbyists to handle for a short time in the wild. If they are striking initially, they quickly calm down when held for a short time. There is a very real danger of mistaking these harmless snakes with a Malayan, Many Banded, or Banded krait all of which are deadly. Kraits can get bigger than 1 meter. This snake, and the other harmless black and white banded snakes will not get over 70 cm generally. Scientific classification: Dryocalamus subannulatus Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Colubridae Subfamily: Colubrinae Genus: Dryocalamus Species: D. subannulatus Photo taken in situ, Ngorn Nak Mountain, Tub Kaak Subdistrict of Krabi Province, Southern Thailand:

6 Malayan Bridle Snake second pattern (more common): White or yellow bands on brown or black body is the typical pattern for this snake. Othriophis taeniurus helfenbergeri (Helfenbergs Racer) Found in Krabi, Thailand New range for this Othriophis taeniurus helfenberger? Krabi, Thailand Some herpetologists believe this snake only occurs north of Krabi. I found one today a juvenile, dead on the road (sea level), at bottom of Khao Phanom Bencha mountain chain where it ends near Krabi Town (Krabi Noi). Here s the link to Joachim s page. Also saw another Malayan Krait a juvenile this time. It crawled across my friend s wife s foot last night. What a way

7 to find a snake, right. Especially a deadly snake like that one is. Many snakes out and about right now in Thailand. I m getting MANY requests for identification and answering them as fast as I can so please be patient. I m behind by about a week in answering ID questions. Again, much better if you can send photos by to info[{at]}thailandsnakes.com I answer immediately that way. Cheers!