Banded Krait | Bungarus fasciatus

Labels: Banded Krait, Raaj Saamp, Gaoman

Binomial name: Bungarus fasciatus
Common name: Banded Krait

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Bungarus
Species:	B. fasciatus

Type: VENOMOUS

Distinguishing Features: Medium to large sized; smooth, shiny scales; wide vibrant yellow and black bands on the back.

Average Length: 1.5 m; At Birth: 25-30 cm; Maximum: 2.25 m.

Description: This snake is large, conspicuous yellow and black banded with prominent backbone, blunt tail and a rounded head, which is slightly distinct from the body. These bands are quite faded on their underside.

Distribution: Banded Kraits are reported in Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Bihar, and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are found up to 1,500 m above sea level.

Habitat: They find shelter in termite mounds and rodents holes close to water. They often live near villages because of their supply of rodents and water. Generally open plains are preferred by them.

Habits: Like other Kraits, this snake also ventures out only at night. This snake species are coy and soft tempered. Snake dealers handle them with little caution, but at the same time mention that they are lively at night. Not much is known about this beautiful snake, just like the other nocturnal Indian snakes.

Young: Generally females lay up to 12 eggs during the month of April. It takes around 60 days to hatch the eggs.

Food: The feeding habits of Banded Kraits are similar to that of Common Kraits. In fact, they also eat Common Kraits. Water-snakes and young rats are also eaten by them, in confinement. Banded Kraits kill their prey by suffocating them by means of their jaws. They also envenomate the prey and within 10-20 minutes it becomes moribund.

Status: Although being fairly common in India, this snake is infrequently seen.

Venom: Banded Kraits produce highly toxic venom, but they hardly bite and no deaths have been reported in India from its bite. So far no anti-venom has been produced against its venom in India.

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Common Krait | Bungarus caeruleus

Labels: Krait, Karait, Maneer

Binomial name: Bungarus caeruleus
Common name: Common Krait

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Bungarus
Species:	B. caeruleus

Type: VENOMOUS

Distinguishing Features: Medium-sized; smooth, shiny scales; head faintly wider than the neck; jet black, generally with distinct white cross lines.

Average Length: 1 m; At Birth: 25 cm; Maximum: 1.75 m (male).

Description: They are smooth, glossy, bluish-black snakes with rounded head which is slightly distinct from the neck. Their body colour varies from a dark steely blue-black to pale faded bluish-grey. They normally have around 40 thin white cross bands throughout their body. Few adults and young ones may have white spots along the first-third of the backbone in place of the cross lines. Their underside is white. Common Kraits are often confused with Wolf Snakes (Lycodon species) which are quite smaller, with flat, fairly pointed heads. This species is the best known of the 6 Krait species found in India and is one of the Big Four Dangerous Snakes.

Distribution: Common Kraits are found in most of India including the Andaman and Nicobars, up to 1,700 m above sea level. They are scarce in Bengal, Assam and Orissa, where Banded Kraits are found.

Habitat: They usually occur in sandy soil, termite mounds, burrows of small rodents and piles of brick and rubble, as they are mainly snakes of the plains. Despite the fact that they are common in some parts of the country like coastal area of Tamil Nadu, one rarely sees them.

Habits: Kraits are nocturnal and they hide during the daytime in holes of field mice and rats. They are short-fanged snakes with a bulldog clasp and extremely fast and active at night. When a male krait is introduced to a cage of captive specimens, a jerking dance often follows, at times ending in a serious fit of biting.

Young: Female lays up to 8 or 12 eggs around March to May which may hatch in May-July. The female incubates her eggs and stays with it like other snakes do.

Food: Kraits mainly take snakes, lizards and rodents. They are true cannibals and can even gulp small kraits from a captive group. Their favourite items include Striped Keelbacks and Olive Keelbacks.

Status: They are quite common and abundant in few areas. They dwell near human settlements and stay undisturbed because of their secretive nocturnal habits.

Venom: Kraits are extremely venomous and their venom induces nerve paralysis as it is highly toxic. As it leaves no local symptoms, a patient should be cautiously observed for signs of paralysis and treated immediately with anti-venom.

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Bamboo Pit Viper | Trimeresurus gramineus

Labels: Indian tree viper, Bamboo snake, Indian green tree viper, Green tree viper, bamboo viper

Binomial name: Trimeresurus gramineus
Common name: Bamboo Pit Viper

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Crotalinae
Genus:	Trimeresurus
Species:	T. gramineus

Type: VENOMOUS

Distinguishing Features: Small sized; slightly keeled scales; green above; wide, triangular head; thin neck.

Average Length: 40 cm; At Birth: 16 cm; Maximum: 80 cm.

Description: Bamboo Pit Vipers are pale green with a slight, uneven black pattern on the back. Their head is wide and triangular, placed on a slim delicate neck. The scales on the top of their head are tiny whereas the dorsal body scales are slightly keeled. These snakes are one of the most common of the Green Pit Vipers of India. The Green Pit Vipers are mainly arboreal, living in vines, bushes and bamboo; but the many-coloured ones like the Rock Pit Vipers are terrestrial, preferring rock cliffs, tree bases and stream edges. The diverse species tend to have temperature, elevation and humidity preferences.

Distribution: They are mainly found in the drier parts of the Western Ghats and parts of Eastern Ghats including Gingee in Eastern Tamil Nadu. The Himalayan Pit Viper sets the world altitude record for a snake, occurring up to 4,800 m in the Himalayas. There are 5 species of pit vipers in the Andaman and Nicobar, 5 in the Western Ghats and 8 in the Himalayas, east to Assam.

Habitat: They generally prefer cool, thick vegetation near stream edges, bamboo and other dense jungle foliage.

Habits: They are slow moving snakes and are active at night and sleep in the open by day. They protect themselves by camouflage. Although slow to defend themselves, they are capable of fast strikes and bites if injured or seriously troubled. They often vibrate their tail when frightened or cornered.

Young: Female gives birth to 4 or 5 young ones. The young possess brightly marked tails which they use as worm-like lures to attract small frogs and lizards. This remarkable habit is also observed in the New World Pit Vipers.

Food: Small ones feed on frogs and lizards. Larger ones tend to prefer rodents but seem to take frogs as well.

Status: As all Indian Pit Vipers are forest snakes, the loss of dense forested areas, particularly the evergreen rain forests, is reducing the population of several species.

Venom: Pit Vipers are rather small and their venom is low in toxicity, hence their bites are rarely serious. Bites are common in some plantation areas, but the victims are generally only incapacitated for a day or two.

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