INTRODUCTION
IDENTIFICATION
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
DIET AND BEHAVIOR
Apart from the Indian Wolf Snake, 7 other species are found in Peninsular India. The snakes mentioned below are not as common but very similar to the Indian wolf snake in Diet, Habitat & Behavior. All have flattened head & jet-dark eyes. Major differences are color pattern, banding & distribution.
Barred Wolf Snake (Lycodon striatus) :
-> Found Throughout India. Second most commonly found species of wolf snake in India.
-> Usually have jet-black dorsal with white bands, sometimes with yellowish tinge.
-> Indistinguishable from black individuals of the Indian Wolf Snake without a proper scale count.
-> More often confused with Kraits due to black coloration.
Flowery Wolf Snake (Lycodon anamallensis) :
-> Found across hilly forests of Southern India and even Sri Lanka. Also called the Slender Wolf Snake.
-> Have yellowish white bands and don't have a collar behind neck like Lycodon aulicus and Lycodon striatus do.
Travancore Wolf Snake (Lycodon travancoricus) :
-> Found in the Western Ghats.
-> Most specimens have bright yellow bands, very rarely yellowish-white and obscure collar.
Vellore Bridal Snake (Lycodon nympha) :
-> Found from Kerala to hilly Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha too.
-> Greyish-brown dorsal with bright yellowish bands which are usually much thicker than those of other wolf snakes.
Scarce Bridal Snake (Lycodon gracilis) :
-> Found from Kerala to hilly Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, very rarely seen.
-> Have yellowish and much thicker bands than other wolf snakes. Looks very similar to the Vellore bridal snake.
Yellow Spotted Wolf Snake (Lycodon flavomacuatus) :
-> Found in the Western Ghats.
-> Have dark and almost jet-black dorsal coloration and bright yellow spotted bands across.
Yellow Collared Wolf Snake (Lycodon flavicollis) :
-> Found in the Western Ghats.
-> Have a distinctive, bright, thick yellow collar behind neck.
-> Bands across body a very dull and absent in some individuals. Dorsal coloration is usually greyish brown.
Found | Common |
---|---|
Toxicity | Non-Venomous |