Identification:
A large, harmless snake belonging to the Colubridae family. It can reach up to 2 meters in length. The head is relatively small and elongated, with a brownish-gray color that distinctly contrasts with the neck. The back is brownish-gray, marked with four black stripes running from the nape down to the mid-body; the two central stripes are larger and continuous, while the two lateral stripes are smaller and fragmented. There is a stripe running across the nape. Three small black lines extend from the eye; two slant down to the upper lip, while one goes through the temporal region, connecting with a black ring on the nape.
Biology and Ecology:
This non-venomous snake is terrestrial but very aggressive and easily agitated. It is commonly found in lowlands and midlands, often hiding in abandoned mouse burrows. It is a good climber, found on fences, in dense bushes, and sometimes on thatched roofs. When threatened, it exhibits a unique defensive behavior: it raises the front third of its body off the ground. The rear part of the body does not coil but forms an “S” shape on the ground. The neck swells, expanding to reveal the yellow and black skin between the neck scales. The mouth opens wide in a threatening display, resembling the behavior of ratsnakes or cobra-like snakes before biting. It hunts both day and night, actively pursuing prey. Its primary diet consists of mice, but it also consumes lizards, frogs, and sometimes fish and young birds. It lays eggs from May to July, typically 5-12 eggs, in bushes or on dry leaves, and exhibits parental care of the eggs. In Northern Vietnam, this snake hibernates in abandoned mouse burrows from late November to mid-March.
Distribution:
Within Vietnam: Widely distributed throughout the lowlands and midlands.
Globally: India, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Value:
Valuable for protecting crops and agricultural plants (by controlling rodents). It also has scientific and aesthetic value.
Status:
Populations have declined, estimated to be at least 50%, coupled with habitat loss and degradation, both historically and presently, due to environmental exploitation, urban expansion, road construction, and especially illegal hunting and trade.
Classification:
VU B1 + 2a,b,c (Vulnerable)
Conservation Measures:
Protection through the prohibition of hunting, trading, and captive breeding within protected natural areas.