Slender Coral Snake
Calliophis melanurus
Description 3
INTRODUCTION
- Venomous Elapid
- Smallest venomous snake of India.
- Rare but widely distributed in India.
IDENTIFICATION
- Very slender body with smooth scales, jet black head sometimes speckled.
- Brownish body, black ring near tail base, bright black tail with bluish underside.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
- Distributed throughout India except Central and NW India.
- Like all Asian Coral Snakes, it is a forest species and inhabits forests of plains and hills.
- Prefers loose, moist soil and leaf litter to burrow in.
DIET AND BEHAVIOR
- Preys on worm snakes, termites, insect eggs .
- Mainly nocturnal snakes sometimes active in early morning hours.
- In excitement, they curl up and wave their brightly colored tails drawing attention away from it's head.
Other Coral Snakes 3
Other Coral Snakes of India are found in the hill forests of western ghats and eastern himalayas, very little is known about these snakes. Following are the species Endemic to the Western Ghats , they are slightly thicker and larger than the slender coral snake.
- Striped Coral Snake (Calliophis nigrescens) : Many color morphs usually striped with blotches.
- Bibron's Coral Snake (Calliophis bibroni) : Alternate orange and black bands.
- Beddome's Coral Snake (Calliophis beddomei) : Looks just like the striped coral snake.
- Castoe's Coral Snake (Calliphis castoe) : Greyish-black dorsal with orangeish belly.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Sanjaya Kanishka, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sanjaya Kanishka
- (c) Vinay Gogula, all rights reserved, uploaded by Vinay Gogula
- (c) Vinay Gogula, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
iNat Map
| Toxicity | Venomous |
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