Common Krait

The Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus) is a type of krait that is found in the jungles of the Indian sub-continent. This snake is a highly venomous snake and is one of the "big four" snakes in India.

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Description

The body colour varies from a dark steely blue-black to a pale faded bluish grey. The average length is 1 meter. Subcaudal scales after the anal scales are not divided. It has large hexagonal scales running down its spine. The white cross bands are more prominent near the tail region.

The male is larger than the female and also has a longer tail.

Common names

• Urdu - Kala gandait.
• Hindi - Karait.
• Kannada - Kattige haavu.
• Telugu - Katla paamu.
• Gujarati - Kala taro.
• Marathi - Manyar, kanadar.
• Oriya - Chitti.
• Tamil - Kattu viriyan, Yennai viriyan, Yettadi viriyan.
• Malayalam - Yalla pamboo (Malabar), Ettadi veeran (Travancore).
• Bengali - Kalach, Domnachiti (North Bengal), Shiyar Chanda (South Bengal).

Status

Common.

Geographic range

Peninsular India from Sindh (Pakistan), to the West Bengal plains. It occurs throughout South India and Sri Lanka.

Habitat

Inhabits a wide variety of habitat in its range. It is found in fields, low scrub jungle as well as inhabited areas. Their fondness for rodents leads them to take up residence in rat holes, termite mounds, brick piles and also inside houses. It is fond of water and is frequently found in it or near it.

Behaviour

A nocturnal snake. The males aggressively maintain territories.

Feeding

These snakes prey on other snakes, rats and mice. They also prey on lizards and smaller snakes. They will devour their young being cannibalistic in nature. Young are known to eat arthropods. As per Daniels, the common krait feeds primarily on other snakes, including blind worms and other kraits, and also feeds on small mammals, frogs and lizards. This snake is nocturnal. It is very active and agile at night. It often hides in rodent holes, loose soil or beneath debris, so it is rarely seen during day. When agitated, it will coil up with head concealed, body flattened, and make jerky movements. May also lift its tail. Reluctant to bite, but may make a quick snapping bite. Generally docile and unaggressive during the day, it may become aggressive at night. This is the most dangerous of Bunguarus species. The venom is highly toxic. It bites rarely, but in one study 77 percent of victims died.^{[citation needed]}

Behavioral differences during day and nighttime have been reported in Bungarus caeruleus. During the day it is sluggish and rolls its body into a loose coiled ball, keeping its head well-concealed. In balled condition, the snake allows considerable handling, however, over handling often instigates bites. At night the snake is very active, escapes by hissing loudly, or keeping still, occasionally biting the source of the annoyance.

Venom

Krait venom is extremely neurotoxic and quickly induces muscle paralysis. Clinically, their venom contains pre-synaptic neurotoxins. These neurotoxins generally affect the nerve endings near the synaptic gap of the brain. Fortunately, since kraits are nocturnal they seldom encounter humans during daylight hours so incidents are rare. Note that there is frequently little or no pain from a krait bite and this can provide false reassurance to the victim. Typically, victims complain of severe abdominal cramps, accompanied by progressive paralysis. As there are no local symptoms, a patient should be carefully observed for signs of paralysis (eg the onset of ptosis) and treated urgently with antivenom. Note that it is also possible to support bite victims via mechanical ventilation, using equipment of the type generally available at hospitals. Such support should be provided until the venom is metabolised and the victim can breathe unaided. If death occurs it takes place approximately 6-8 hours after the krait bite. Cause of death is general respiratory failure i.e. suffocation.

Mimicry

Shaw's wolf snake

Other references

Romulus Whitaker (1978). COMMON INDIAN SNAKES: A Field Guide. Macmillan India Limited.