Common Krait
Bungarus caeruleus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Elapidae, Subfamily: Elapinae, Genus: Bungarus, Species: B. caeruleus
Found across the Indian subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
Look up Common Krait in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Elapidae, Subfamily: Elapinae, Genus: Bungarus, Species: B. caeruleus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to its wide distribution and adaptability to various agricultural and human-modified habitats.
Physical Description
Characterized by a glossy black or dark bluish-black dorsal coloration with distinct thin white or yellowish crossbands that often form paired rings along the body. The body is cylindrical with a slightly compressed tail, and the dorsal scales are distinctly enlarged along the vertebral column (hexagonal in cross-section). The head is slightly distinct from the neck with round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Typically reaches an adult length of 90 to 120 cm (around 3 to 4 feet), with a maximum recorded length exceeding 175 cm.
Habitat
Inhabits a wide variety of rural and agricultural landscapes, lowlands, open scrub forests, fields, and often near human settlements where rodents are common, ranging from sea level up to roughly 1,500 meters elevation.
Diet & Feeding
Predominantly ophiophagous (specializing in eating other snakes), but also consumes rodents, lizards, and frogs. Nocturnal hunter, active primarily after dark.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females typically lay a clutch of 4 to 14 eggs during the summer months (April to June), often guarding the nest until hatching.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to its wide distribution and adaptability to various agricultural and human-modified habitats.
Cultural Significance
Well-known in South Asian folklore and mythology. Due to its nocturnal habits and tendency to seek shelter in houses or bedding during the night, it holds a significant place in local awareness regarding human-wildlife encounters.
Notable Features
Active mainly after dark; during daylight hours it often hides under debris or curls up tightly when disturbed.