Vertebrate fauna of
 Southeast Asia

  

 

   
Home  
——————————  
SE Asia fauna ...  
   
Primates
 Carnivorans
 Large Mammals
 Small Mammals
 Mammal calls
 Bats
—————
Birds
—————
 Snakes
 Lizards & Crocodilians
 Turtles
—————
 Amphibians
 Tadpoles
 Frog calls
—————
Freshwater Fishes
 Marine & Brackish Fishes
—————
Species Lists
 





 


 
——————————  
New Guinea herptiles ...  
Snakes   Lizards   Frogs  
——————————  
SE Asia Vert Records (SEAVR) archives ...  
  Indochina Records
  Indonesia & PNG Records
Philippines Records
 
——————————  
   
  New or updated pages ...
 
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
——————————  
 

Search this site ...

 
 


   

 
  ——————————  
 


Email :


Text and photos by Nick Baker, unless credited to others.
Copyright © Ecology Asia 2025

 
     
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

   
   
 
Jasper Cat Snake  -  Boiga jaspidea
   
   

Family : COLUBRIDAE
Species : Boiga jaspidea
Maximum Size : 1.5 metres

This rather uncommon species inhabits lowland forest and swamp forest. It is arboreal and nocturnal, and feeds mainly on geckos, young birds, birds eggs and especially arboreal rodents.

Tweedie (1957) states that this species, in common with the White-spotted Cat Snake Boiga drapiezii, is known to lay its eggs in arboreal termite nests : this is probably to afford the developing eggs some protection from scavengers.

Dorsally this snake is reddish brown on both the body and top of the head, with scattered black and pink blotches, and ventrally it is white except for the front portion of the belly. Low on the flanks are scattered, irregular white patches. The throat and forward part of the belly is yellow.

The body is fairly slender, and laterally compressed. The head is somewhat larger than the body, and the huge eyes are probably the largest amongst all snakes of the Boiga genus.

The Jasper Cat Snake occurs in parts of Indochina (Vietnam), southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.


Fig 1 : Example from lower montane habitat at Fraser's Hill, Peninsular Malaysia.  Photo thanks to Joseph Koh.

Figs 2 and 3 : Example from Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut), Perak, Peninsular Malaysia at an elevation of 1190 metres.  All photos thanks to Noel Thomas


References :

Baker, N. & K. Lim, (Vertebrate Study Group, Nature Society Singapore), 2008. Wild Animals Of Singapore. Draco Publishing and Distribution Pte. Ltd.

Das, I., 2010. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-east Asia. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.

Tweedie, M., 1957. The Snakes of Malaya. Raffles Museum, Singapore.

Fig 1
   
©  Joseph Koh
  
Fig 2
 
©  Noel Thomas
  

Fig 3
 

©  Noel Thomas