Country guide

Snakes of Indonesia

Fewer than 20 snakebite deaths are officially registered in Indonesia each year, but WHO notes that several thousand are suspected, and there are no national snakebite statistics. The snakes behind most bites include the white-lipped pit viper, the Malayan krait, spitting cobras, the Malayan pit viper, the eastern Russell's viper and, in Papua, death adders.

< 20

snakebite deaths officially registered a year1

3

snake species covered by Indonesia's own antivenom1

4 of 7

top-priority venomous species with licensed antivenom2

If someone is bitten

Call now. Then go to hospital.

Antivenom is given in hospitals. Don’t wait for symptoms.

  • Australia

    Australian first aid for snakebite uses a pressure immobilisation bandage and splint, and advises not washing the bite.

  • Bangladesh

    A 2017 study noted that the Indian polyvalent antivenom used in Bangladesh is not made from the venoms of local species such as the monocled cobra, and it did not prevent local tissue damage from cobra bites.

  • Brazil

    Antivenom is free in Brazil's public health system (SUS), but it is only given in hospital, at reference hospitals chosen by each state.

  • India

    Indian polyvalent antivenom is raised against the 'Big Four' and may not neutralise some regional species, such as the monocellate cobra in the North-East and the hump-nosed pit viper in the south-west.

  • Indonesia

    Indonesia's own antivenom, made by Bio Farma, is raised against only three species (Javan spitting cobra, banded krait and Malayan pit viper), so it may work poorly for bites by other snakes such as green pit vipers.

  • Kenya

    Antivenom is usually stocked only at hospitals and some health centres, so people bitten in rural areas often need to be referred, and delays are common.

  • Mexico

    Mexico's public health system uses two anti-viper antivenoms; one is made from the venoms of the terciopelo and the Mexican west coast rattlesnake.

  • Nepal

    100 is the police emergency number; call 102 for an ambulance.

  • Nigeria

    Antivenoms made from Nigerian snake venoms (EchiTAb G and EchiTAb-Plus-ICP) have proved effective in clinical trials, while some imported antivenoms made from non-African snake venoms have proved ineffective.

  • Pakistan

    Rescue 1122 handles ambulance and fire emergencies; the police number is 15.

  • Philippines

    The only antivenom made in the Philippines is Philippine Cobra Antivenom, raised against the Philippine cobra; there is no locally made antivenom for pit viper bites.

  • South Africa

    112 works for all emergencies from a mobile phone; 10177 is ambulance and fire, and 10111 is police.

  • Sri Lanka

    119 (or 118) is the police emergency number; call 1990 for an ambulance.

  • United States

    For free, expert 24/7 advice you can also call Poison Help on 1-800-222-1222, but call 911 in an emergency.

Not listed? Call your local emergency number.

Look-alikes

Dangerous or harmless?

Harmless snakes are often killed because they look like dangerous ones. Learn the differences, and still never handle a snake.

Dark brown Javan spitting cobra with a paler brown head lying on dry grass at night in Bali, Indonesia
Medically significant

Javan spitting cobra

Naja sputatrix

A large, mostly dark brown spitting cobra of Java, Bali and the Lesser Sunda Islands. It is common in rice fields, farmland and towns, and it can spray venom towards the eyes of a threat.

Indian rat snake resting on a tree branch, showing its large eye, black-edged lip scales and dark bands on the body
Non-venomous

Indian rat snake

Ptyas mucosa

A long, slender, non-venomous daytime snake common across southern Asia. It is often seen near farms and villages hunting rats, and is frequently mistaken for a cobra.

Every species

All 303 snake species recorded in Indonesia

10 have a full profile so far. The others are listed by family, without a venom status until they have a sourced profile.

Colubridae166
  • Ahaetulla fasciolataSpeckle-headed Whipsnake
  • Ahaetulla mycterizansMalayan (Green) Whipsnake
  • Anoplohydrus aemulans
  • Boiga bengkuluensisBengkulu Cat snake
  • Boiga cynodonDog-toothed Cat Snake
  • Boiga dendrophilaMangrove Snake
  • Boiga drapieziiWhite-spotted Cat Snake
  • Boiga hoeseliLesser Sundas Cat Snake
  • Boiga jaspideaJasper Cat Snake
  • Boiga melanota
  • Boiga tanahjampeanaTanahjampea Cat Snake
  • Calamaria abstrusa
  • Calamaria acutirostrisPointed Snout Reed Snake
  • Calamaria albiventerWhite-bellied Reed Snake
  • Calamaria alidae
  • Calamaria apraeocularisApreocular Reed Snake
  • Calamaria banggaiensisBanggai reed snake
  • Calamaria battersbyi
  • Calamaria bicolorTwo-colored Dwarf Snake
  • Calamaria boesemaniBoeseman’s Reed Snake
  • Calamaria borneensis
  • Calamaria brongersmaiBrongersma’s Reed Snake
  • Calamaria butonensis
  • Calamaria ceramensis
  • Calamaria crassa
  • Calamaria curtaDark-bellied Reed Snake
  • Calamaria doederleini
  • Calamaria eiselti
  • Calamaria everetti
  • Calamaria forcarti
  • Calamaria hilleniusi
  • Calamaria javanica
  • Calamaria lateralis
  • Calamaria lautensis
  • Calamaria leucogasterAmpat Lawang Dwarf Snake
  • Calamaria linnaeiLinne's Dwarf Snake
  • Calamaria longirostris
  • Calamaria loviiLowi’s Reed Snake
  • Calamaria lumholtzi
  • Calamaria margaritophoraBleeker's Dwarf Snake
  • Calamaria mecheli
  • Calamaria melanota
  • Calamaria modesta
  • Calamaria muelleriMueller’s Reed Snake
  • Calamaria nuchalisNarrow-headed Reed Snake
  • Calamaria rebentischi
  • Calamaria schlegeliPink-headed Reed Snake
  • Calamaria suluensisSulu Reed Snake
  • Calamaria sumatranaSumatra Dwarf Snake
  • Calamaria ulmeri
  • Calamaria virgulataBoie's Dwarf Snake
  • Calamorhabdium acuticepsSulawesi Iridescent Snake
  • Calamorhabdium kuekenthaliBatjan Iridescent Snake
  • Chrysopelea rhodopleuronMoluccan Flying Snake
  • Coelognathus enganensisEnggano Rat Snake
  • Coelognathus erythrurusReddish Rat Snake
  • Coelognathus radiatusRadiated Ratsnakes
  • Coelognathus subradiatusLesser Sunda Rat Snake
  • Dendrelaphis calligasterNothern Tree Snake
  • Dendrelaphis caudolineatusGray Bronzeback
  • Dendrelaphis formosusElegant Bronzeback
  • Dendrelaphis gastrostictusMontane treesnake
  • Dendrelaphis grismeri
  • Dendrelaphis haasiHaas’s Bronzeback snake
  • Dendrelaphis inornatus
  • Dendrelaphis keiensisKei treesnake
  • Dendrelaphis kopsteiniKopstein’s Bronzeback Snake
  • Dendrelaphis lineolatus
  • Dendrelaphis lorentziiLorentz River treesnake
  • Dendrelaphis marenaeMaren’s Bronzeback
  • Dendrelaphis modestusStriped Bronzeback
  • Dendrelaphis striatusBanded Bronzeback
  • Dendrelaphis terrificusTerrific Bronzeback
  • Dendrelaphis underwoodiUnderwood’s Bronzeback snake
  • Dryophiops rubescens(Brown or) Red Whip Snake
  • Elapoidis fusca
  • Elapoidis sumatrana
  • Etheridgeum pulchrumSumatra Etheridge Snake
  • Fowlea melanzostaJavanese Keelback Water snake
  • Gongylosoma baliodeiraStriped Ringneck
  • Gongylosoma longicaudusLong-tailed Ringneck
  • Gonyosoma janseniiCelebes Black-tailed Ratsnake
  • Gonyosoma oxycephalumRed-tailed Green Ratsnake
  • Hebius arquus
  • Hebius celebicusSulawesi Keelback
  • Hebius flavifronsSabah Keelback
  • Hebius frenatus
  • Hebius kerinciensis
  • Hebius petersiiPeters' Keelback
  • Hebius sarasinorumSarasin’s Keelback
  • Hebius sarawacensisSarawak Keelback
  • Hebius viperinus
  • Iguanognathus werneriSpatula-tooth Snake
  • Liopeltis tricolorMalayan Ringneck
  • Lycodon albofuscusDark Wolf Snake
  • Lycodon capucinusCommon Wolf Snake
  • Lycodon sidiki
  • Lycodon stormiSulawesi Wolf Snake
  • Lycodon subannulatusMalayan Bridal Snake
  • Lycodon subcinctusMalayan Banded Wolf Snake
  • Oligodon annuliferRinged Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon bitorquatusBoie's Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon forbesiForbes' Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon petronellae
  • Oligodon praefrontalis
  • Oligodon propinquusBleeker's Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon pulcherrimus
  • Oligodon purpurascensBrown Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon tolaki
  • Oligodon trilineatusThree-lined Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon unicolor
  • Oligodon vertebralisVertebral Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon waandersiBleeker's Kukri Snake
  • Oligodon wagneriWagner’s kukri Snake
  • Opisthotropis rugosa
  • Pseudorabdion albonuchalisWhite-collared Reed Snake
  • Pseudorabdion collarisCommon Collared Snake
  • Pseudorabdion eiselti
  • Pseudorabdion longicepsDwarf Reed Snake
  • Pseudorabdion modiglianiiModigliani’s dwarf reed snake
  • Pseudorabdion sarasinorumSarasin’s Reed Snake
  • Pseudorabdion sirambenseSirambé dwarf reed snake
  • Pseudorabdion torquatum
  • Pseudoxenodon inornatusDull Bamboo Snake
  • Pseudoxenodon jacobsoniiJacobson’s Bamboo Snake
  • Ptyas dipsasSulawesi Black Racer
  • Ptyas fuscaWhite-bellied Rat Snake
  • Rabdion forsteniForsten’s Pointed Snake
  • Rabdion grovesiGroves’ Pointed Snake
  • Rhabdophis akraiosSingalang Keelback
  • Rhabdophis callistusBoettger’s Keelback
  • Rhabdophis chrysargoidesGünther's Keelback
  • Rhabdophis conspicillatusRed-bellied Keelback
  • Rhabdophis flavicepsYellow-headed Keelback
  • Rhabdophis rhodomelasBlueneck Keelback
  • Rhabdophis subminiatusRed-necked Keelback
  • Sibynophis melanocephalusBlack-headed Collared Snake
  • Stegonotus aruensisAru Islands groundsnake
  • Stegonotus ayamaruAyamaru Groundsnake
  • Stegonotus batjanensisBatjan Frog-eating Snake
  • Stegonotus borneensisBorneo groundsnake
  • Stegonotus cucullatusBird's Head Peninsula groundsnake
  • Stegonotus derooijaeDe Rooij's groundsnake
  • Stegonotus florensisFlores Ground Snake
  • Stegonotus iridisIridescent groundsnake
  • Stegonotus keyensisKei Islands groundsnake
  • Stegonotus lividusSemau Island groundsnake
  • Stegonotus modestusMaluku ground snake
  • Stegonotus parvusBiak Island groundsnake
  • Stegonotus sutteriSumba (island) Ground Snake
  • Tetralepis fruhstorferiBluebelly Java Snake
  • Tropidonophis dahliiNew Britain keelback
  • Tropidonophis doriaeBarred keelback
  • Tropidonophis elongatusMoluccan keelback
  • Tropidonophis halmahericus
  • Tropidonophis mcdowelliNorthern New Guinea keelback
  • Tropidonophis montanusNorth Irian montane keelback
  • Tropidonophis multiscutellatusMany-scaled keelback
  • Tropidonophis novaeguineaeNew Guinea keelback
  • Tropidonophis picturatusPainted keelback
  • Tropidonophis punctiventrisHalmahera Keelback
  • Tropidonophis statisticusPNG montane keelback
  • Tropidonophis truncatus
  • Xenelaphis ellipsiferOrnate Brown Snake
  • Xenochrophis maculatusSpotted Keelback
  • Xenochrophis vittatusBanded Keelback
Elapidae36
  • Acanthophis laevis
  • Acanthophis rugosus
  • Aipysurus duboisiiReef shallows seasnake
  • Aipysurus fuscusTimor Reef Snake
  • Aspidomorphus muelleriMüller’s crown snake
  • Aspidomorphus schlegeliiSchlegel’s crown snake
  • Calliophis bivirgatusBlue Malaysian Coral Snake
  • Calliophis gracilisSpotted Coral Snake
  • Calliophis intestinalisBanded Malaysian Coral Snake
  • Calliophis nigrotaeniatusBanded Malaysian Coral Snake
  • Cryptophis boschmaiCarpentaria whip snake
  • Hydrelaps darwiniensisPort Darwin seasnake
  • Hydrophis annandaleiBighead Sea Snake
  • Hydrophis anomalusAnomalous Sea Snake
  • Hydrophis atricepsBlack-headed seasnake
  • Hydrophis belcheriFaint-banded Seasnake
  • Hydrophis brookii
  • Hydrophis caerulescensDwarf Seasnake
  • Hydrophis inornatusInornate Sea Snake
  • Hydrophis klossiKloss' Sea Snake
  • Hydrophis melanosomarobust seasnake
  • Hydrophis ornatusOrnate Reef seasnake
  • Hydrophis pacificusPacific seasnake
  • Hydrophis sibauensisKalimantan Sea Snake
  • Hydrophis spiralisYellow Sea Snake
  • Hydrophis torquatusWest Coast Black-headed Sea Snake
  • Laticauda laticaudataBlue-banded Sea Krait
  • Naja sputatrixIndonesian Cobra
  • Naja sumatranaGolden Spitting Cobra
  • Ophiophagus bungarusSunda king cobra
  • Oxyuranus scutellatus
  • Pseudechis rossignolii
  • Toxicocalamus grandisSetekwa River forest snake
  • Toxicocalamus loennbergiiLönnberg’s forest snake
  • Toxicocalamus preussiPreuss’s forest snake
  • Toxicocalamus stanleyanusOwen Stanley Range forest snake
Homalopsidae20
  • Brachyorrhos albusSeram Short-tailed Snake
  • Brachyorrhos gastrotaeniusBuru Short-tailed Snake
  • Brachyorrhos pygmaeus
  • Brachyorrhos raffrayiTernate Short-tailed Snake
  • Brachyorrhos wallaceiHalmahera Short-tailed Snake
  • Calamophis jobiensisYapen Island Stout-tailed Snake
  • Calamophis katesandersaeAndian Stout-tailed Snake
  • Calamophis ruuddelangiKebar Stout-tailed Snake
  • Cerberus schneideriiSoutheast Asian Bockadam
  • Djokoiskandarus annulataBanded watersnake
  • Heurnia ventromaculataMamberano Mud Snake
  • Homalophis gyiiKapuas Mud Snake
  • Hypsiscopus indonesiensisLake Towuti Paddle-tailed water snake
  • Hypsiscopus matannensisBoulenger's Water Snake
  • Karnsophis siantarisSumatran Short-tailed Snake
  • Miralia alternansReuss’ Mud Snake
  • Myron karnsiAru Mangrove Snake
  • Myron richardsoniiRichardson’s mangrove snake
  • Pseudoferania polylepisMacleays Mud Snake
  • Sumatranus albomaculataSumatran Mud Snake
Typhlopidae17
  • Anilios erycinusNorthern New Guinea blindsnake
  • Argyrophis fuscusBrown Worm Snake
  • Argyrophis hypsobothriusSumatra Worm Snake
  • Cyclotyphlops deharvengiDeharveng’s Blind Snake
  • Indotyphlops schmutziSchmutz's Worm Snake
  • Malayotyphlops koekkoekiBoenjoe Island Worm Snake
  • Malayotyphlops kraaliiKei Island Worm Snake
  • Ramphotyphlops bipartitusSouthern New Guinea blindsnake
  • Ramphotyphlops conradiConrad's Worm Snake
  • Ramphotyphlops depressus
  • Ramphotyphlops flaviventerYellow-bellied blindsnake
  • Ramphotyphlops lineatusStriped Blind Snake
  • Ramphotyphlops lorenzi
  • Ramphotyphlops multilineatusHook-nosed blindsnake
  • Ramphotyphlops similis
  • Ramphotyphlops supranasalis
  • Sundatyphlops polygrammicusNorth-Eastern Blindsnake
Viperidae17
  • Calloselasma rhodostomaMalayan Pit Viper
  • Craspedocephalus andalasensisSumatran Palm Pit Viper
  • Craspedocephalus borneensisBorneo Pit Viper
  • Craspedocephalus brongersmaiBrongersma's Pit Viper
  • Craspedocephalus puniceusFlat-nosed pitviper
  • Daboia siamensisEastern Russel’s Viper
  • Ovophis convictusIndo-Malayan mountain pitviper
  • Trimeresurus calamitas
  • Trimeresurus fasciatusBanded Pit Viper
  • Trimeresurus gunaleniGunalen’s Pitviper
  • Trimeresurus hageniIndonesian Pit Viper
  • Trimeresurus insularisWhite-lipped island pitviper
  • Trimeresurus kirscheyiSimeulue Pitviper
  • Trimeresurus malcolmiMalcolm’s pitviper
  • Trimeresurus sumatranusSumatra Pit Viper
  • Trimeresurus whitteniSiberut Pitviper
  • Tropidolaemus laticinctusBroad-banded Temple Pitviper
Pythonidae16
  • Antaresia papuensisPapuan Spotted Python
  • Leiopython albertisiiNorthern White-lipped Python
  • Liasis macklotiFreckled Python
  • Malayopython reticulatusReticulated Python
  • Malayopython timoriensisTimor Python
  • Morelia imbricataSouth-western Carpet Python
  • Morelia spilotaDiamond Python
  • Morelia viridisSouthern green python
  • Python bivittatusBurmese Python
  • Python breitensteiniBorneo Python
  • Python brongersmaiBlood Python
  • Python curtusSumatra Python
  • Simalia amethistinaAmethystine or scrub python
  • Simalia clastolepisSouthern Moluccan python
  • Simalia nautaTanimbar Python
  • Simalia tracyaeHalmahera Python
Cylindrophiidae10
  • Cylindrophis aruensisAru Cylinder Snake
  • Cylindrophis boulengeriBoulenger's Pipe Snake
  • Cylindrophis isolepisJampea Island Pipe Snake
  • Cylindrophis lineatusBlanford's Pipe Snake
  • Cylindrophis melanotusBlack Pipe Snake
  • Cylindrophis opisthorhodusIsland Pipe Snake
  • Cylindrophis osheaiBoano pipesnake
  • Cylindrophis ruffusRed-tailed Pipe Snake
  • Cylindrophis subocularis
  • Cylindrophis yamdenaYamdena Pipe Snake
Pareidae8
  • Aplopeltura boaBlunthead Slug Snake
  • Asthenodipsas laevisSmooth Slug Snake
  • Asthenodipsas malaccanaMalayan Slug Snake
  • Asthenodipsas tropidonotaSumatra Slug Snake
  • Asthenodipsas vertebralisMountain Snail Snake
  • Pareas carinatusKeeled Slug Snake
  • Pareas margaritophorusMountain Slug Snake
  • Pareas nuchalisBarred slug-eating snake
Gerrhopilidae4
  • Gerrhopilus aterBlack blindsnake
  • Gerrhopilus bisubocularisWestern Java Worm Snake
  • Gerrhopilus sumatranus
  • Gerrhopilus suturalis
Boidae3
  • Candoia asperaNew Guinea ground boa
  • Candoia carinataPacific boa
  • Candoia paulsoniSolomon Island Ground boa
Acrochordidae2
  • Acrochordus arafuraeArafura filesnake
  • Acrochordus javanicusElephant Trunk Snake
Anomochilidae2
  • Anomochilus leonardiLeonard's Pipe Snake
  • Anomochilus weberiWebers Cylinder Snake
Psammodynastidae1
  • Psammodynastes pictusPainted Mock Viper
Psammophiidae1
  • Psammophis indochinensis

Source: Uetz, P. et al. (eds.), The Reptile Database, version 2026-06, via the Catalogue of Life (COL26.9). CC BY 4.0. Ranges in the source can be incomplete.

References

  1. 1

    World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia. Guidelines for the management of snakebites, 2nd edition. 2016. iris.who.int

  2. 2

    Patikorn C, Ismail AK, Abidin SAZ, et al. Situation of snakebite, antivenom market and access to antivenoms in ASEAN countries. BMJ Global Health. 2022;7:e007639. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Try “krait”, “cobra” or Naja. Typos are fine.