Description ³

INTRODUCTION

• Non Venomous
• Other names: Striped keelback, Grass snake
• Among the Natricine snakes or Keelbacks.
• Resembles Asian version of the American garter snake.

IDENTIFICATION

• Small, slender snakes with keeled scales.
• Olive greenish body with two yellow stripes running along body.
• First half of body has black crossbands. Stripes prominent in second half.
• Round pupils with yellowish lower lips and creamy belly.
• Grow to 2 feet on average.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

• Common and widespread throughout India.
• Inhabits grasslands, wetlands, forests, gardens and agricultural lands.
• Hide near moist vegetation, ponds,leaf litter, cracks and thick grass.
• Very abundant during the monsoons.

DIET AND BEHAVIOR

• Feed on frogs, toads, sometimes lizards and small rodents.
• Juveniles feed on tadpoles, insects and small frogs.
• Has long rear teeth specialized to catch slippery frogs.
• Diurnal snakes and sleep in the night under rocks, holes, bushes.
• Known to aestivate during hot summer and appear at the end of summers.
• Very gentle and docile snakes that don't usually bite and only tries to escape.
• Can display beautiful interscale colors puffing up it's neck when nervous.

Fontes e Créditos

1. (c) Harshjeet Singh Bal, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Harshjeet Singh Bal
2. (c) Vinay Gogula, todos os direitos reservados, uploaded by Vinay Gogula
3. (c) Vinay Gogula, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)

Mais informações

• BioDiversity4All taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HerpMapper
• Snake Database
• The Reptile Database
• VertNet

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