chequered keel back snake

Description:

This one was seen sunning itself one afternoon whilst we were out In Kanha national park. Keelbacks are Colubrid snakes of the subfamily Natricinae, so named because their dorsal scales exhibit strong keeling. The family is notable for containing some of the very few colubrid snakes known to be dangerous to man.They are both diurnal & nocturnal. It’s a water snake from the plains, abundant in water ways, such as flooded rice fields, ponds, lakes, marshes & rivers. They are very good swimmers. In dry hot conditions, they undergo aestivation in groups. In colder regions, it hibernates. They are known to be very aggressive. When threatened they attempt to bite.

Habitat:

This one was by a river in Kanha national park central India but they can be found in Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southern china, South land Asia, & Thailand also.