Wildlifeof India
Forsten's Cat Snake
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) swanand kesari, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Boiga forsteni
Basic stats
Diet
Lizards, snakes, birds, bats and rodents
Habitat
Arboreal; nocturnal
Range
Nepal, Sri Lanka and India
Clutch size
5–10 eggs, laid in August and September in India
Size
Longest examined by Boulenger 1.47m; maximum snout-to-vent length 2.3m per Das (2002)
Forsten's cat snake is a mildly venomous, rear-fanged colubrid. The back is small-scaled with very small, numerous temporal scales, the belly has 259–270 scales and the tail 106–131 pairs. The longest specimen examined by Boulenger in 1890 measured 1.47 m in total length, including a tail of 30 cm, while Das (2002) gives a maximum snout-to-vent length of 2.3 m (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is nocturnal and lives in trees, preying on lizards, snakes, birds, bats and rodents. Females lay 5–10 eggs, which in India are laid in August and September. It is found in Nepal, Sri Lanka and a wide range of Indian states, from Sikkim and West Bengal to Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Quick answers
- What does the Forsten's Cat Snake eat?
- Lizards, snakes, birds, bats and rodents
- What habitat does the Forsten's Cat Snake live in?
- Arboreal; nocturnal
- Where is the Forsten's Cat Snake found?
- Nepal, Sri Lanka and India
- How many eggs does the Forsten's Cat Snake lay?
- 5–10 eggs, laid in August and September in India
- How big is the Forsten's Cat Snake?
- Longest examined by Boulenger 1.47m; maximum snout-to-vent length 2.3m per Das (2002)