Wildlifeof Nepal
Himalayan Keelback
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) Ramit Singal, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Herpetoreas platyceps
Basic stats
Habitat
Sub-Himalayan region between 1,000 and 3,600m
Range
India's sub-Himalayan region, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and China
Size
Total length about 90cm; tail 23cm
The Himalayan keelback is a grass snake of the family Colubridae, endemic to South Asia. It is about 90cm long, with a 23cm tail. The dorsal scales are in 19 rows and faintly or feebly keeled, and a coral-red band is said to run along the ends of the belly scales in life. It is known from the sub-Himalayan region between 1,000 and 3,600m (Wikipedia, general species account).
The Reptile Database gives the Nepal range as 1,040 up to 3,657m, so it is a snake of the mid-hills and mountains rather than the Terai. Its range also includes north-east India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and Tibet. The sources opened give nothing on diet or breeding, so none is stated.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Himalayan Keelback live in?
- Sub-Himalayan region between 1,000 and 3,600m
- Where is the Himalayan Keelback found?
- India's sub-Himalayan region, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and China
- How big is the Himalayan Keelback?
- Total length about 90cm; tail 23cm