Singapore is home to about 67 species of snakes, according to the National Parks Board (NParks). They can range from the brahminy blind snake – one of the world’s smallest snakes at about 20cm long and often mistaken for an earthworm – to the reticulated python, which can grow to a length of more than 9m.
Some of the snakes that have been photographed in Singapore
Paradise tree snake – Chrysopelea paradisi
Body slender and cylindrical, relatively flat and distinct head. Black above with a green or yellow spot on each dorsal scale.
Mildly venomous
Wagler’s Pit Viper – Tropidolaemus wagler
Wagler’s Pit Viper is generally not considered to be aggressive
Venomous
Blue Coral Snake – Calliophis bivirgatus
It has a unique kind of venom that most snakes don’t have, and it even has the largest venom glands of any snake, which extend more than a quarter of its body length.
Highly venomous
Oriental Whip Snake – Ahaetulla prasina
This elegant snake is arboreal and lives in bushes and trees.
It is common in many of our wild places, including urban gardens and coastal areas.
Mildly venomous ( generally not problematic for humans. )
King cobra – Ophiophagus hannah
The longest of all venomous snakes
They are called king cobras because they can kill and eat cobras.
Highly venomous
Red-tailed Racer – Gonyosoma oxycephalum
A species of snake in Singapore distinguishable by its bright green body, reddish-brown tail and electric blue tongue.
Non-Venomous
Painted Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis pictus
This small and slender snake is easily identified through its bronze dorsal colouration and a blunt snout.
Non-Venomous
Kopstien’s Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis kopsteini
Head distinct from slender body, eye large. Scales along middle of back distinctly enlarged
Non-Venomous
Blue Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis cyanochloris
Commonly known as Wall’s bronzeback
Non-Venomous
Banded Krait – Bungarus fasciatus
Banded Krait is considered to be a coastal snake but can also be found in a variety of habitats including peat swarms and forests.
Highly venomous
Jasper Cat Snake – Boiga jaspidea
It has a highly patterned reddish-brown body with scattered black and pink blotches and accentuated by red, orange and yellow highlights
Venomous
Black Spitting Cobra – Naja sumatrana
The Equatorial spitting cobra also called the black spitting cobra, Malayan spitting cobra, golden spitting cobra, Sumatran spitting cobra, or Palawan spitting cobra
The body is thick, and the tail short. The head is distinct from the neck, and the snout is rounded.
Venomous
Gold-ringed Cat Snake – Boiga dendrophila
commonly called the mangrove snake or the gold-ringed cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged venomous snake in the family Colubridae
Mildly venomous
Keeled Rat Snake – Ptyas carinata
It has a cobra-like head but a pretty net-patterned tail
Non-Venomous
White-spotted Cat Snake – Boiga drapiezii
Commonly known as the white-spotted cat snake, is a species of long and slender rear-fanged colubrid that is common throughout its range
Mildly venomous
Reticulated python – Malayopython reticulatus
It is the world’s longest snake, and the third heaviest after the green anaconda and Burmese python
Non-Venomous
Twin-barred Tree Snake – Chrysopelea pelias
Rarely seen, mostly found in the Forest, the Twin-barred Tree Snake can glide from tree to tree by flattening its body into an aerofoil-like surface and flinging itself from tall trees
Mildly venomous
Mangrove Pit-Viper – Cryptelytrops purpureomaculatus
is an endangered native reptile species. It is a shy snake that has a purplish-brown body.
Venomous
Bigeye Green Whip Snake
is a native reptile species.
Mildly venomous
Photographed by:
Daryl Tan
Koo Ke Han
David Wirawan
All photos are copyrighted.
