Wildlifeof India
Boiga nuchalis
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) T R Shankar Raman, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Boiga nuchalis
Basic stats
Diet
Especially Calotes lizards; also tree frogs and geckos
Habitat
Tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forest, 300–1,200m
Range
South-western India: Western Ghats of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, and southern Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu
Size
Up to about 1.2m
The collared cat snake is a nocturnal, tree-dwelling, rear-fanged colubrid endemic to south-western India. It is small to medium in length with a moderately long tail, reaching about 1.2 m, and has an egg-shaped head distinct from the neck with a rounded snout. The body is deep rusty brown with numerous rich reddish-brown crossbars (Wikipedia, general species account).
It prefers low to mid-elevation hills (300–1,200 m) in tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests. It is occasionally seen on the ground searching for prey and especially feeds on Calotes lizards, though it can also eat tree frogs and geckos. It has recently been recorded in the southern Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu (Sirumalai, Shevaroys, Kolli Hills, Melagiri and BR Hills).
Quick answers
- What does the Boiga nuchalis eat?
- Especially Calotes lizards; also tree frogs and geckos
- What habitat does the Boiga nuchalis live in?
- Tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forest, 300–1,200m
- Where is the Boiga nuchalis found?
- South-western India: Western Ghats of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, and southern Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu
- How big is the Boiga nuchalis?
- Up to about 1.2m