Bungarus andamanensis | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Elapidae |
Genus: | Bungarus |
Species: | B. andamanensis |
Binomial name | |
Bungarus andamanensis Biswas & Sanyal, 1978 | |
Bungarus andamanensis, the South Andaman krait, is a species of krait, a venomous elapid snake, which is found in the Andaman Islands of India. It was first described by Biswas and Sanyal in 1978.
The Andaman Krait is a medium-sized snake, growing up to 1.3 meters in length. Its body is cylindrical, and the head is slightly broader than the neck. The eyes are small and entirely black with round pupils.
The body is glossy black or brownish, often with blue iridescence. It features 39–47 narrow yellow or white equidistant cross-bars on the body and 9–13 on the tail, with the bands widening toward the belly. The underside is yellowish-cream with irregular black or brown spots, and the tail often has distinct brownish spots. The lips are yellowish. Juveniles display vibrant yellow cross-bars and a distinct "^"-shaped marking near the head.
The Andaman Krait is endemic to the Andaman Islands and Little Andaman Islands in India. It inhabits a variety of environments, including:
The species is frequently observed on roads after rains and has also been seen near termite mounds. It is extremely common in Little Andaman.
The Andaman Krait is nocturnal and primarily active during and after rains. When alarmed, it slightly flattens its body, coils loosely while hiding its head, and may produce a squeaking sound. Juveniles are most often seen in June, suggesting a seasonal breeding pattern.
The species mainly preys on other snakes, including water snakes, and occasionally on fish. Adult specimens are rare and are typically found near freshwater streams.
Little is known about the breeding biology of this species, but the presence of juveniles in June indicates potential seasonal reproduction.
Bungarus is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. The genus is native to Asia. Often found on the floor of tropical forests in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Southern China, they are medium-sized, highly venomous snakes with a total length typically not exceeding 2 metres. These are nocturnal ophiophagious predators which prey primarily on other snakes at night, occasionally taking lizards, amphibians and rodents. Most species are with banded patterns acting as a warning sign to their predators. Despite being considered as generally docile and timid, kraits are capable of delivering highly potent neurotoxic venom which is medically significant with potential lethality to humans. The genus currently holds 18 species and 5 subspecies.
The common krait, also known as Bengal krait, is a species of highly venomous snakes of the genus Bungarus in the Elapidae family, native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the Big Four Indian snakes that inflict the most snakebites on humans in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The banded krait is an extremely venomous species of elapids endemic to Asia, from Indian Subcontinent through Southeast Asia to Southern China. With a maximum length exceeding 2 m, it is the longest krait with a distinguishable gold and black pattern. While this species is generally considered timid and docile, resembling other members of the genus, its venom is highly neurotoxic which is potentially lethal to humans. Although toxicity of the banded krait based upon murine LD50 experiments is lower than that of many other kraits, its venom yield is the highest due to its size.
Trimeresurus cantori, commonly known as Cantor's pit viper or Cantor's pitviper, is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the Subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. It was named after Theodore Edward Cantor (1809-1860), a Danish naturalist serving as a surgeon with the East India Company in Calcutta. No subspecies are recognized as being valid.
Boiga andamanensis, known commonly as the Andaman cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Andaman Islands.
Dendrelaphis pictus, commonly known as either the common bronzeback, painted bronzeback, or Indonesian bronzeback, is a species of colubrid snake found in Southeast Asia.
Gongylosoma nicobariensis, the Camorta Island stripe-necked snake, is a species of snake found in the Nicobar Islands of India. Species known only from its holotype.
Lycodon aulicus, commonly known as the Indian wolf snake or common wolf snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Early naturalists have suggested its resemblance to the venomous common krait as an instance of Batesian mimicry.
Bungarus bungaroides, the northeastern hill krait, is a venomous species of elapid snake.
The lesser black krait is a species of venomous elapid snake found in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The specific epithet is after Latin lividus, meaning “bluish metal-colored” or “lead-colored”, referring to the snake's coloration.
The greater black krait or black krait, is a species of krait, a venomous snake in the genus Bungarus of the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
Hydrophis spiralis, commonly known as the yellow sea snake, is a species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae.
The blue-lipped sea krait, also known as the blue-banded sea krait or common sea krait, is a species of venomous sea snake in the subfamily Laticaudinae of the family Elapidae. It is found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.
Bungarus candidus, commonly known as the Malayan krait or blue krait, is a highly venomous species of snake. The blue krait is a member of the genus Bungarus and the family Elapidae.
The many-banded krait, also known as the Taiwanese krait or the Chinese krait, is a highly venomous species of elapid snake found in much of central and southern China and Southeast Asia. The species was first described by the scientist Edward Blyth in 1861. Averaging 1 to 1.5 m in length, it is a black or bluish-black snake with many white bands across its body. The many-banded krait mostly inhabits marshy areas throughout its geographical distribution, though it does occur in other habitat types.
Boiga barnesii is a species of cat snake endemic to Sri Lanka. It is known as Barnes' cat snake in English and panduru mapila-පදුරු මාපිලා in Sinhala. It is a member of the snake family Colubridae. It is distributed in the lowlands and midlands up to approximately 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea level, with known localities include Matale, Kandy, Gannoruwa, Gampola, Ambagamuwa, Balangoda, Labugama and Sinharaja Rain Forest. Barnes' cat snake is mainly a forest-dwelling species but may occasionally be found in human habitats. It is the smallest cat snake in Sri Lanka and grows up to a maximum of about 600 mm (24 in) in snout-vent length. Being a nocturnal and an arboreal hunter, it mainly feeds on agamid lizards and geckos. The day time is usually spent inside a tree hole or a crevice. It’s a very timid and a mildly venomous snake and rarely attempts to bite.
The Andaman cobra or Andaman spitting cobra is a species of cobra endemic to the Andaman Islands of India. The name of this cobra comes from the Islands itself. The species has a very potent venom, and is capable of “spitting”, although this defensive behavior is very rare and the aim is poor and not as efficient as “true spitting cobras”.
Bungarus slowinskii, the Red River krait, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to mainland Southeast Asia
Bungarus suzhenae, or Suzhen's krait, is a species of krait first described in the year 2021. The snake is named after Bai Suzhen, the snake goddess from the Chinese tale "Legend of the White Snake", who is revered as a deity of medicine, healing and true love. The Suzhen's krait is found in rice fields and streams in monsoon forests in southwestern China and northern Myanmar at elevations from 800 to 1,560 meters above sea level.
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