Wildlifeof India
Himalayan Keelback
Colubrid Snakes
Photo: (c) Ramit Singal, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Herpetoreas platyceps
Basic stats
Range
Sub-Himalayan India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and China, 1,000–3,600m
Size
Total length about 90cm
The Himalayan keelback is a grass snake of the family Colubridae and endemic to South Asia. It is known from India along the sub-Himalayan region, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and China between 1,000 and 3,600 m elevation. Total length is about 90 cm, with a tail of 23 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).
The back scales are in 19 rows, faintly or feebly keeled, and in life a coral-red band is said to run along the ends of the belly scales. The Reptile Database lists Kashmir, Sikkim, Punjab, Darjeeling, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Quick answers
- Where is the Himalayan Keelback found?
- Sub-Himalayan India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and China, 1,000–3,600m
- How big is the Himalayan Keelback?
- Total length about 90cm