How to Identify the Andaman Krait (Identification Guide)
Learn to recognize the Andaman Krait by its glossy dark body, faint or reduced banding, and endemic island distribution in the Andaman archipelago.
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Key identifying features
The Andaman Krait is a slender, smooth-scaled elapid endemic to the Andaman Islands. It shares the classic krait body plan: a rounded head barely wider than the neck, a cylindrical body, a short tail, and a distinctive row of enlarged vertebral scales running along the spine that can be felt or seen as a low ridge.
Coloration & pattern
Adults are typically uniform blackish-brown to dark grey-brown, and unlike some mainland kraits, the pale banding on this species is often faint, reduced to narrow, indistinct crossbands, or nearly absent in older individuals. Juveniles tend to show more visible pale banding that dulls with age. The underside is plain whitish or pale grey.
Head, eyes & scales
The head is small and rounded, not clearly set off from the neck, with smooth glossy scales and small dark eyes with round pupils. The single row of enlarged hexagonal vertebral scales down the back is a key diagnostic trait shared with other true kraits and helps separate it from similarly dark colubrids.
Size & body shape
This krait reaches a moderate length, generally 60 to 90 centimeters, with a slim, evenly cylindrical body and a short, tapering tail. The body cross-section is rounded rather than flattened, distinguishing it from vipers found in overlapping habitats.
Range & habitat where you'll see it
As its name implies, the Andaman Krait is restricted to the Andaman Islands, where it inhabits lowland forest, forest edge, and cultivated or disturbed areas near human habitation. It is nocturnal and terrestrial, most active on humid nights, often near water sources.
How to tell it apart from look-alikes
Because its banding is often faint, this krait can resemble uniformly dark colubrid snakes found on the islands; the enlarged vertebral scale ridge is the most reliable distinguishing feature. It differs from cobras by lacking a hood and by its smaller, more uniform head, and it differs from pit vipers by its rounded (not triangular) head and smooth, unkeeled scales.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Andaman Krait look like?
It is a slender, glossy blackish-brown snake with faint or reduced pale crossbands, a small rounded head, and a ridge of enlarged scales down the back.
Where is this species found?
It is endemic to the Andaman Islands and does not occur on the Indian mainland.
Why is the banding sometimes hard to see?
Adult Andaman Kraits often have faded or indistinct pale bands compared to juveniles, which show clearer banding.
How is it different from a cobra?
It lacks a hood entirely and has a smaller, more rounded head that is not clearly distinct from the neck.
Is it more active by day or night?
It is primarily nocturnal, most often seen moving on the ground after dark.