Oriental Rat Snake

Scientific name
Ptyas mucosa (Linnaeus, 1758)

Alternate names
New Guinea bockadam, South Asian bockadam, Bockadam snake

Order
Squamata

Family
Colubridae

IUCN Read List Category
Least Concern

Distinguishing Morphological Features
Snout obtuse, slightly projecting; eye large. Brown above, frequently with more or less distinct black crossbands on the posterior part of the body and on the tail; young usually with light crossbands on the front half of the body. Lower surface yellowish; the posterior ventral and the caudal shields may be edged with black.

Biology
Oviparous This diurnal and crepuscular species is found in a great diversity of habitats, including forest, forest clearings and edges, open tropical dry forests, savannas, scrublands, plantations, villages and cultivated areas. In Turkmenistan, it is mostly associated with oases. It feeds on rodents, but also eats birds, lizards, frogs, and other snakes including conspecifics.

Locality
Not available

Distribution
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia,China India (Assam, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka Punjab Gujarat, Tripura), Andamans, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, West Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, U.S.S.R., Vietnam

Oriental Rat Snake