Dog Toothed Cat Snake

Southeast Asian Snakes

Snakes ~ Cat Snakes ~ Dog-Toothed Cat Snake

The dog-toothed cat snake is the longest member of the Boiga family with a very slender body. Dog-toothed cat snakes are found in lowland to mid-level rainforests, but are less common than other cat snake species. It is available in a few colour forms, but the most common is brownish cream with dark blackish crossbars on the dorsum. The dog-toothed cat snake can also occur in other shades of brown, grey and dark black. The dark black phase is unique in that it has yellow colouration on the throat and jaws, while the frontal is a sallow brown. There are also faint yellow bands across the sides.

The head is shaped like a sleek triangle and the teeth are remarkably long and sharp like needles. This is most likely a trait designed specifically to help them strike and hold on to birds, their primary prey in the wild.Dog-toothed cat snakes will also feed on eggs but they rarely hunt other types of prey. They use a combination of venom from the rear-fangs and constriction to kill their prey. What is remarkable about their killing technique is that they use their thin prehensile tails to achive constriction, rather than the thicker upper part of the body. In Southeast Asia, this cat snake can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Indonesia and Borneo.