Buff Striped Keelback

The Buff Striped Keelback is a small, common colubrid snake found throughout South and Southeast Asia, closely associated with wetlands, rice paddies, and slow-moving water. It is one of the most frequently encountered snakes in agricultural landscapes in the region.

Though it possesses rear fangs and mild venom used to subdue small prey, it is not dangerous to humans and its bite is not medically significant. It is often mistaken for more dangerous banded species due to its striking pattern.

• Slender body with prominent black-and-buff or black-and-yellow longitudinal stripes running down the back
• Keeled (ridged) dorsal scales giving a slightly rough texture
• Rounded head barely distinct from neck, round pupils
• Pale cream to olive base color with dark lateral striping
• Adults typically 0.6-1.0 m in length
• Distinguished from cobras and kraits by lack of hood and absence of cross-banding

Found in rice paddies, marshes, ponds, ditches, and slow streams at low to mid elevations across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. It favors well-vegetated freshwater margins and agricultural wetlands.

Primarily diurnal and highly aquatic, foraging in shallow water and mud for frogs, tadpoles, and small fish. When threatened it may flatten its body and strike, though it is generally not aggressive. It is oviparous, laying clutches of roughly 6-15 eggs during the warm, wet season.