 | Family : COLUBRIDAE Species : Ptyas korros Maximum Size : 2.6 metres The Indochinese Rat Snake is a fast-moving snake which has adapted to grasslands, agricultural landscapes and oil palm plantations. It preys on rats, frogs and other small vertebrates. It is diurnal in habits, and mainly a ground-dweller. Most encounters with this snake occur as they attempt to cross rural roads; the species is often found as roadkill in rural parts of Peninsular Malaysia. This snake can be identified by its overall brown or orange-brown colour, its olive-brown tail with dark-edged scales, and the faint pale brown banding which occurs on the thickest part of the body (although this feature does not occur in mature adults). The belly is yellowish. Its head is long, and it eyes relatively large. This wide-ranging species occurs in parts of India, Nepal and China, through Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos down to Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and the sundaic islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali. Figs 1 and 2 : A pair from Bandung, Java, Indonesia; either a mating pair or 2 males in a 'combat dance'. Photos thanks to Dave Welch. Fig 3 : Example from rural Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. Fig 4 : Example from Kaeng Krachan, Phetchaburi province, Thailand. Photo thanks to Charles Currin. Figs 5 and 6 : Rare photos of an example from the northwest corner of Singapore Island, where grasslands and modern farms dominate the landscape. Photos thanks to Lim Kim Seng. References : Cox, van Dijk, Nabhitabhata, Thirakhupt, 1998. A photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. New Holland. |
