Wildlifeof India
Hardwicke's Rat Snake
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) chintan sheth, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Platyceps ventromaculatus
Basic stats
Diet
Largely geckos and other lizards
Range
Southern and south-western Asia from northern India through Pakistan and Iran to Iraq and the Persian Gulf
Clutch size
About 9 eggs
Size
Usually 90–120cm; up to 1.28m
Hardwicke's rat snake, also called the glossy-bellied racer or spotted-bellied snake, is a colubrid snake native to southern and south-western Asia. It varies in colour and can be grey, olive-brown, olive-green or dirty yellow. Adults are usually 90 to 120 cm in total length and have been recorded up to 1.28 m, and three subspecies are recognised (Wikipedia, general species account).
It largely preys on geckos and other lizards. About nine eggs are laid, and the young are 30–33 cm long. In India it is found from the north, and the Reptile Database lists Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Quick answers
- What does the Hardwicke's Rat Snake eat?
- Largely geckos and other lizards
- Where is the Hardwicke's Rat Snake found?
- Southern and south-western Asia from northern India through Pakistan and Iran to Iraq and the Persian Gulf
- How many eggs does the Hardwicke's Rat Snake lay?
- About 9 eggs
- How big is the Hardwicke's Rat Snake?
- Usually 90–120cm; up to 1.28m