Oligodon fasciolatus

Oligodon fasciolatus, commonly known as the small-banded kukri snake or the fasciolated kukri snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to Southeast Asia. This snake uniquely eviscerates live poisonous toads, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Asian common toads), to avoid toxic white liquid the toad secretes. This snake also preys on the Kaloula pulchra (Banded bullfrog).

Geographic range

O. fasciolatus is found in southeastern Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of O. fasciolatus is forest.

Description

O. fasciolatus may attain a total length of . O. fasciolatus appears brownish-ground, tinged with yellow-olive, greyish-brown, or reddish-brown.

Reproduction

O. fasciolatus is oviparous.

References

Further reading

• Günther ACLG (1864). The Reptiles of British India. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Simotes fasciolatus, new species, pp. 218–219 + Plate XX, figure B, two views of head).

External links

• See also Duttaphrynus melanostictus for:

*Bringsøe H, Suthanthangjai M, Suthanthangjai W, Nimnuan K (2020). "Eviscerated alive: Novel and macabre feeding strategy in Oligodon fasciolatus (Günther, 1864) eating organs of Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) in Thailand". Herpetozoa 33: 157–163. Published online September 11, 2020. .

*Bringsøe H, Suthanthangjai M, Suthanthangjai W, Lodder J, Komanasin N (2021). "Gruesome twosome kukri rippers: Oligodon Formosanus (Günther, 1872) and O. Fasciolatus (Günther, 1864) eat Kaloula pulchra gray, 1831 either by eviscerating or swallowing whole." Herpetozoa, 34, 49–55. Published online February 15, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e62688

*Garcia de Jesus E (2020). "This snake rips a hole in living toads’ stomachs to feast on their organs". ScienceNews, October 2, 2020.