Above : this specimen was found coiled
on vegetation one metre above a pool of water inundated with breeding
frogs. Photos taken at Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo. |
This attractive snake
inhabits moist, lowland
primary rainforest : it is most frequently encountered near forest pools,
swamps or streams. Like most keebacks it leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle and
is an excellent swimmer.
The species is diurnal in habits, and feeds
mainly on frogs, including frogs eggs, as well as fish and lizards.
It is easily identified by
its orange-red or orange-yellow flanks, which are adorned with regularly spaced, inverted,
black triangles. The dorsal surface of the head is olive-green and the body
olive-green or olive-brown. The dorsal scales are keeled.
The Triangle Keelback ranges from
Burma, Thailand and Indochina through Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore
to the islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Family : NATRICIDAE
Species : Xenochrophis trianguligerus
Maximum Size : 135 cm
References
: H2, H3
|
