Red Headed Krait

Snakes ~ Kraits ~ Red Headed Krait

The red headed krait is a large and magnificent snake with dramatic colouration. The head and neck is bright red along with the tail while the rest of the body is black. In juveniles, a white ventrolateral stripe occurs, but this fades off in very mature specimens. The ventrals are greyish. As typical of kraits, this snake has a sharp vertebral ridge.

The red headed krait occurs in lowland rainforest, including those on islands, but it is considered uncommon. It feeds primarily on specific snakes, probably semi-aquatic and fossorial snakes. In Southeast Asia, the red headed krait occurs in Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra and a subspecies in Borneo. The venom potency is little-studied as bites from this species are extremely rare.