Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Family Colubridae Scientific name Lycodon travancoricus Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Suborder Serpentes Subfamily Colubrinae Phylum Chordata Order Scaled reptiles | |
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Similar Lycodon flavomaculatus, Lycodon striatus, Lycodon jara, Coluber gracilis, Oligodon taeniolatus | ||
Lycodon travancoricus
Lycodon travancoricus, commonly known as the Travancore wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake.
Contents
Geographic range
It is found in Pakistan and India (Western Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha), and also in isolated localities in Kerala and Maharashtra.
Description
[Coloration in alcohol:] Lycodon travancoricus is dark brown or black dorsally, with white crossbands and white lineolations on the sides. Ventrally it is uniform white. It is very similar to Lycodon striatus, but the upper lip is brown, or white spotted with brown.
The dorsal scales are smooth, in 17 rows. The ventrals number 175-202; the anal is entire; and the subcaudals are 56-76, usually double, but sometimes single.
Adults may attain 60 cm (23½ inches) in total length, with a tail 12.5 cm (4⅞ inches) long Maximum 742mm (29 in).
Habitat
It prefers forests, both evergreen and deciduous, on plains and hills.
Behavior
Lycodon travancoricus is nocturnal.