Forsten's Cat Snake (Boiga forsteni) | Snake | Wildkeeda
Forsten's Cat Snake
Forsten's Cat Snake
MILDLY VENOMOUS
Boiga forsteni (Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril, 1854)
Maximum 2313mm (9lin)
Description
A fairly long and slender Snake; head triangular in shape, neck distinct eye slightly elliptical with vertical pupil; vertebral scale rows enlarged; ventral scales with a pair of lateral keels.
Body colour grey or reddish brown with distinct black and white alternating irregular transverse markings throughout the dorsum: a dark black mark runs from neck and reaches up to the frontal; dark black postocular stripe runs behind the eye till the angle of the jaw and further behind the neck. A series of small dark black spots may present on the two sides of ventral, or in some cases the dark spots are scattered. Indian Snake
Scalation
Scales in 25 or 27:27, 29 or 31: 17 or 15 oblique rows, smooth. Vertebrals feebly or strongly enlarged. Ventral 254-273 with distinct lateral keel: anal entire: subcaudals 102-119 (131), Preocular 1, touching top of head, postoculars 2; temporals 3+3 or 3+4; supralabials 8-11 (3rd to 5 or 4 to 6 touching eye).
 |
| Forsten's Cat Snake (Boiga forsteni) |
Nocturnal. Lives in tree hollows, abandoned nests, and tangles of leaves on branches. Our largest cat snake. Feeds on lizards, birds, even domestic chickens, bird eggs, bats, and other small mammals. Sometimes eats snakes as well. Lays 5-10 eggs in April-May. When alarmed, inflates neck, forms forebody into coils, hisses. and vibrates tail. Indian Snake
Distribution
India: the Western Ghats from Gujarat to Kerala; peninsular India - the Ganges valley (Orcha, Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Balrampur, Baraich, Purnea, Manbhum); Orissa (Berhampur): West Bengal (Sijna): eastern Himalayas (Darjeeling district); western Himalayas (Nainital, Dehra Dun, Pauri districts). Found in both plains and hills. AlsoNepal and Sri Lanka.
Look alikes
Other cat snakes. Checkered Keelback.
 | Snake | Wildkeeda){kind=link}