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Project Noah Nature School
Oligodon octolineatus
A strikingly handsome species, the Striped Kukri Snake - Oligodon octolineatus is easily identified by the longitudinal stripes comprising a dorsal reddish or orange stripe, and a number of brown or greenish lateral stripes on a black background. Kukri snakes are so-called on account of the shape of the teeth at the back of the mouth, which resemble the Kukri knife used by Gurkha soldiers. Kukri snakes, however, are non-venomous and quite harmless, though thay may attempt to bite if provoked.
Seen in Tawau Hills Park, a tropical rain forest, very high humidity and mossy. They probably feeds on frogs, which can be found in good numbers even away from stream/river.
Growing to a maximum 68 cm, this small snake is found in a range of habitats including forest, farmland, and sometimes parks and gardens. It seems to be both nocturnal and diurnal. This species ranges from Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to Borneo and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Bangka, Java, Sulawesi and possibly the Philippines.
Spotted on Dec 18, 2017
Submitted on Dec 19, 2017
12 Comments
Thanks, @Marek :)
Congratulations Albert
Thanks, @Daniele for the SOTD.
Thanks too, @Antonio, @Mark and @Leana for the kind words and support :)
Congratulations Albert!
Fantastic snake. Congrats again Albert.
Beautiful series Albert,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
Congratulations Albert, this beautiful snake is our Spotting of the Day!
"What an attractive pattern of stripes and red color on this Striped Kukri Snake (Oligodon octolineatus), our Spotting of the Day! Oligodon is a genus of colubrid snakes with 76 recognized species distributed to central and tropical Asia. These rear-fanged snakes possess a set of enlarged teeth at the back of their mouth, which are adapted for their main diet of eggs. These teeth are are distinctly shaped like a kukri, a traditional Nepalese knife, hence the the common name".
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Thank you Albert, that's perfect :-)
Thanks and noted, @Daniele.
Have updated the info on habitat.
Absolutely spectacular Albert!
Under Habitat, could you please just simply describe the actual habitat where the spotting was made, not generic habitat or range. Many thanks in advance!
From our FAQ page:
"Habitat: Please state the actual habitat where you photographed the spotting - this information can then be used to track changes in habitat, such as those caused by human intervention or habitat destruction. Again, it is not necessary to state published habitat information here, this can be referenced in the 'reference links' box".
Thanks, @Christine.
It sure was a handsome snake :)
Wow! Spectacular snake!