White Spotted Cat Snake

Southeast Asia Snakes

Snakes ~ Wolf Snakes

Wolf snakes are a common and widespread species across Southeast Asia, yet their ecology is poorly-known and little-studied. In Malaysia, there are several Lycodon species that are known which also occur in neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Borneo and Indonesia.

Wolf snakes are named because of their enlarged front teeth, not fangs, that give them a muzzled appearance, simliar to canine features. It also makes the snout somewhat more squarish than other snakes. Typically, there are a small-bodied species with a terrestial disposition but semi-arboreal tendencies. They are also able to adapt very well to disturbed habitats, which is why they are often encountered in agricultural plantations, villages and sometimes in the cities (Often the culprit is Lycodon capucinus, also called the house wolf snake).

Wolf snakes lay small clutches of eggs that hatch into neonates with white or yellow bands depending on the species. This ontogenic colouration will fade as they go into adulthood, eventually becoming a solid brown or black colour. However, the Butler's wolf snake is an exception in that it retains the bands from juvenilehood. Even as adults, it is common for most wolf snakes to retain some or a little of the bands. Hence, the amount of bands is a good way to gauge the age of the snake.

However, for those in the field of collecting and studying snakes, utmost care must be taken while identifying juvenile Lycodon species apart from kraits of the Elapidae genus. This is because juvenile wolf snakes with their broad white bands can be mistaken for highly-venomous krait species, such as Bungarus candidus or Bungarus fasciatus, both which possess bold white bands on their body throughout their life span. Such an error is potentially fatal and has been recorded to cause at least one known casualty in the field, among researchers.

In Peninsular Malaysia, the banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) and blue krait (Bungarus candidus) can be told apart by their triangular frame, more blunt head and the bands, which have a series of thin and short dark stripes running through some of the scales. The bands are also not as broad as most juvenile wolf snake species and are laid in a more frequent order. All wolf snake species prey on lizards, especially geckos, although they are recorded to hunt frogs as well.

Lepturophis borneensis and Lycodon effraenis occur in lowland and mid-level rainforest. They are semi-arboreal and are shy but gentle in disposition. Lycodon capucinus is called the house wolf snake for a good reason; it is often found in gardens and inside houses that are near forests, probably in search of its prey, lizards. This common snake is often mistaken to be venomous by over zealous residents and killed on the spot.

Lycodon butleri is a highland species that is fiesty in temperament and retains some of its bands for life, unlike most Lycodon species. It is arboreal and can be found occupying tree holes about 2 m from the ground. Finally, the tiny Lycodon laoensis is found only in the extreme north of Peninsular Malaysia, near the Thai border in lowland forest.

Most Lycodon species produce neonates that have ontogenic white or yellow bands. At juvenile stage, the bands are still obvious but upon the early stages of adulthood, the bands begin to fade into a solid black or brown colour. The picture on the right is a dead juvenile specimen of Lycodon subcinctus. Compare with the adult specimen pictured at the above left which has lost most of its bands.