Wildlifeof Nepal
Trinket Snake
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) Ronith Urs, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Coelognathus helena
Basic stats
Diet
Rodents (mice, rats, squirrels), small snakes, geckos and frogs
Habitat
Forest from sea level to 2,500m; also around houses
Range
Sri Lanka, southern India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh
Clutch size
6–12 elongated eggs, laid throughout the year
Size
Adults up to about 1.4m total; tail 25cm
The trinket snake is a non-venomous constricting snake that can reach about 1.4m in total length, including a 25cm tail. Young snakes are pale brown above with black crossbands, each enclosing four to six white ocelli, with a vertical black streak below the eye and an oblique one behind it. Adults are darker brown, with a transverse series of squarish black spots or traces of the juvenile pattern (Wikipedia, general species account).
It prefers forest from sea level to 2,500m but is also found around houses. It is active by day and night, and preys on rodents such as mice, rats and squirrels, as well as small snakes, geckos and frogs. Eggs are laid throughout the year in clutches of six to twelve elongated eggs. It is found in Sri Lanka, southern India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Quick answers
- What does the Trinket Snake eat?
- Rodents (mice, rats, squirrels), small snakes, geckos and frogs
- What habitat does the Trinket Snake live in?
- Forest from sea level to 2,500m; also around houses
- Where is the Trinket Snake found?
- Sri Lanka, southern India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh
- How many eggs does the Trinket Snake lay?
- 6–12 elongated eggs, laid throughout the year
- How big is the Trinket Snake?
- Adults up to about 1.4m total; tail 25cm