Greater Black Krait

The greater black krait, or black krait, is a venomous snake endemic to South Asia. It is medium in length, slender and triangular in cross-section, with a short, pointed tail. It is shiny black above, with whitish scale edges, and a creamy-white belly with black edges that increase towards the rear. The scales are smooth and the eyes black. It can grow to about 1.3m, though adults average around 0.8m (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives in a wide range of habitats, from mangrove swamps to inhabited villages to montane forest up to 1,500m in the Himalayan foothills. It is nocturnal and terrestrial, with an inoffensive disposition, and preys mostly on snakes and small mammals and occasionally lizards, frogs and fish. It is found in north-east and north India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.