Order: Squamata

Family: Colubridae

 

Size: up to 80-134 cm in length.

 

Key Features: Head snout tapered with smooth and shiny scales; broader than neck. Yellowish or brownish olive above, with narrow white, brown, and black variegated cross bands on the anterior half of the body; these bands may entirely disappear in the adult; lower parts uniform yellowish. Long tail with pointed tip; colour almost same like rest of dorsal body.

 

Diet: Feed on lizards and small Rodents; juveniles feed upon insects also.

 

Habitat: Found in scrubs and agricultural lands. Use Brick piles, Rock piles, cracks, burrows, rat holes, mounds and dense vegetation for hiding. 

 

Habits: Banded Racer is a Diurnal species.

 

Conservation Status: Not assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Boulenger, G.A.(1890). Reptilia and Batrachia. In W.T. Blanford (Ed.), The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Berlin:

https://archive.org/stream/reptiliabatrachi00bouliala#page/n1/mode/2up

 

Argyrogena fasciolata. In IndianSnakes.org , Retrieved on July 11, 2014 from http://www.indiansnakes.org/content/banded-racer

 

Photo Courtesy

Saleem Hameed, Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons