Banded krait

Identification

The banded krait is ringed along its whole length with alternating black and yellow bands, the black bands about as broad as the yellow ones^2,5. A black mark on the nape runs forward to a point between the eyes, and snakes from the Malay Peninsula can have very pale, almost white bands².

A high ridge along the spine gives the body a triangular cross-section, and in Thailand it is known as the “triangular snake”^2,3. The short tail ends bluntly, and the scales are smooth and glossy^2,3.

Adults average about 1.05–1.35 m, and snakes over 1.8 m are rare^2,3. The species can reach 2.25 m⁴.

Distribution

The banded krait has a very large range, occurring in India (mainly in the east and north-east), Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and through Myanmar, southern China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Hainan), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia¹. In Bangladesh it is found throughout the country⁵. A population in Micronesia may have been introduced by people¹.

Genetic studies have found three distinct lineages within the species, which may prove to be separate species; if so, the name Bungarus fasciatus would stay with the snakes of eastern and north-eastern India and Myanmar^1,4.

Habitat

This krait favours low-lying areas with good plant cover and water, such as marshes, cultivated fields and shrubland³. It is also found in primary forest, farmland and gardens, up to about 2,300 m above sea level⁴. It is often found near houses and villages².

In West Bengal, India, nests have been found in burrows and under rubble on the banks of village ponds⁴.

Behaviour

The banded krait is strictly nocturnal and almost never bites during the day³. It is usually quiet and reluctant to bite². When caught it seldom tries to escape; instead it throws its body into loose coils and hides its head beneath them².

After dark it is more alert³.

Diet

Like other kraits, the banded krait feeds mainly on other snakes, and it will eat both harmless and venomous species^2,3. It also eats lizards³.

Reproduction

The banded krait lays eggs, and the female stays with them^1,2. Older accounts give clutches of 8–11 eggs, and the Hong Kong population lays 6–14^2,3.

In West Bengal, a female was found coiled around a clutch of 19 eggs in a burrow on a pond bank in May; the eggs hatched in June, and the hatchlings measured about 32–35 cm from snout to vent⁴.

Venom and medical significance

The banded krait is highly venomous, and like other kraits its venom attacks the nerves and can cause paralysis^5,6. The World Health Organization places it in Category 2, secondary medical importance, in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Indonesia, and in 2016 described it as rarely, if ever, biting people⁵.

Bites do happen, however: a Thai case series of krait bites included nine by this species, and it is thought to be one of the three kraits responsible for most krait bites in South-East Asia⁶. Krait bites often cause paralysis within hours, and many patients need days on a breathing machine⁶.

Antivenom against it is made by the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (Thai Red Cross) in Thailand and by Biofarma in Indonesia^5,6. Anyone bitten should go to hospital immediately.

Conservation

The banded krait is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2013 assessment)⁷. In China it is listed as Endangered on the national red list³. In India it is protected under Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, which covers all elapid snakes not listed in Schedule I⁸.

Similar species

The common krait (Bungarus caeruleus) has narrow white bands instead of broad yellow ones⁵. The Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus) of South-East Asia has black saddle-shaped markings and a pure white belly, whereas the banded krait’s black and yellow bands run right around the body⁵. These differences are not a safe basis for handling any snake. Keep your distance from every snake you cannot identify.

In captivity

The banded krait is a dangerous venomous snake and is not suitable as a pet. In India it is protected under Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, as amended in 2022⁸. It should never be caught or kept by private individuals.