Wildlifeof India
Barred Wolf Snake
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) Ronith Urs, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Lycodon striatus
Basic stats
Diet
Skinks, geckos and other small lizards
Habitat
Dry regions such as semi-deserts and forest edges
Range
Southern Asia, from Iran and Afghanistan through Pakistan, India and Nepal to Sri Lanka
Clutch size
2–4 eggs
Size
The longest adult known to Boulenger (1893): 43cm
The barred wolf snake, or northern wolf snake, is a non-venomous colubrid of southern Asia. It is dark brown or black above with white crossbands that are widely spaced towards the front, and the sides are streaked with white. The upper lip and underside are white. The longest adult known to Boulenger in 1893 was 43 cm, with a tail of 7.5 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).
It prefers dry regions such as semi-deserts and forest edges, is nocturnal, and hides under stones by day, hunting skinks, geckos and other small lizards after dark. In India females lay a small clutch of 2 to 4 eggs in April, and parental care of the eggs has been observed. The account lists Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
Quick answers
- What does the Barred Wolf Snake eat?
- Skinks, geckos and other small lizards
- What habitat does the Barred Wolf Snake live in?
- Dry regions such as semi-deserts and forest edges
- Where is the Barred Wolf Snake found?
- Southern Asia, from Iran and Afghanistan through Pakistan, India and Nepal to Sri Lanka
- How many eggs does the Barred Wolf Snake lay?
- 2–4 eggs
- How big is the Barred Wolf Snake?
- The longest adult known to Boulenger (1893): 43cm