Elaphe helenus monticollaris is a non-venomous constrictor

Constriction

Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly-venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom. The snake initially strikes at its prey and holds on, pulling the prey...

 species of colubrid

Colubrid

A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...

 snake native to south Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

.

Characteristics

A narrow headed slender snake with a beautiful colouration. Its light brown

Brown

Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....

 body is often adorned with white and dark brown spots (E.h.helena) or with black and white transverse stripes (E.h.monticollaris). Its head is greenish brown with black markings. However the true purpose of this colouration is camoufladge. Its species name

Epithet

An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...

 is derived from the legendary Greek queen Helen.

Habitat

Prefers forests but may frequently venture towards human habitation and occasionally enter human dwellings.

Behaviour

Diurnal and highly active. Has a very nasty temper and will strike repeatedly if molested. Never appreciates captivity and will resist capture with utmost tenacity until helplessly overpowered. Its bites are often very damaging due to its inward pointing teeth.

Food

Feeds mainly on small mammals. It uses its camouflage to stalk its prey and initially disorients its victim with a blitz strike. It then surrounds its prey with its coils and weakens it by biting repeatedly. The victim is finally killed by constriction and swallowed at leisure. It may also prey upon birds, frogs, lizards and other snakes as well but shows a high preference towards small mammals. It is notorious for its voracious appetite. Captive specimens prefer mice and tend to lose interest in lizards especially if they remain motionless.

Breeding

Very little known about its reproductive habits. Probably viviparous. Brood size unknown.

Growth

The smallest known specimens measure around 350mm. The average adult length is around 100 cm and 150 cm the maximum. Females are longer than the males while males have proportionately longer tails.

Identification

• Nine pairs of supralabials of which the fifth and sixth pairs touch the eye.
• 19 to 21 rows of costals two head lengths before the vent.
• Entire anal shield
• Nearly equally sized frontal and parietal shields.

Lepidosis

• Rostral: Compressed and touches six shields.
• Frontal: Relatively thin and elongated.
• Supraoculars: Slender and elongated being nearly as long as the Frontal.
• Parietals: Each individual shield is slightly larger than the Frontal.
• Prefrontals: Highly broad as well as long.
• Internasals: Touch the nostrils.
• Nasals: Divided along a vertical line on which the nostril is situated.
• Loreals: Entire
• Preoculars: Entire
• Postoculars: Divided into two equally sized shields
• Temporals: Divided into two equally sized elongated shields.
• Supralabials: Nine pairs of which the fifth and sixth pairs touch the eye.
• Mental: Stereotype in form.
• Infralabials: Six pairs of which the sixth is the largest.
• Sublinguals: Anterior and posterior pairs equal in size and the posterior pair is separated by smaller scales.
• Costals: Only the ultimate row is enlarged.
• Ventrals: 217 to 265
• Anal Shield: Entire
• Subcaudals: 74 to 97, divided.

Distribution

Mainly India and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. Also found in Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 (Sind) and Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

. Fairly common in the central hills of the Sri Lanka above 800m but arely recorded in the plains.