The orange-collared keelback (Rhabdophis himalayanus) is a species of snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

. As with its congener

Congener

Congener has several different meanings depending on the field in which it is used. Colloquially, it is used to mean a person or thing like another, in character or action.-Biology:In biology, congeners are organisms within the same genus...

ics, this is a reared-fanged species. The toxicity of its venom

Venom

Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...

 is not known, but it overpowers its prey quickly. Even if it is considered harmless, an allergic reaction from the bite can still occur, and all bites should be taken seriously.

Description

Dorsally it is olive with small dark spots and two longitudinal series of small whitish spots or narrow crossbars. Behind the head there is an orange or yellow collar, usually interrupted on the midline, followed by a blackish blotch on the nape. The upper labials are yellowish with black sutures. Ventrally it is yellowish, speckled with brown or black, or entirely grayish olive or blackish. It may attain 83 cm (33 inches) in total length, tail 20 cm (8 inches).

Distribution

India (Sikkim, Assam; Arunachal Pradesh (Siddi (=Gandhigram), Miao - Changlang district, Chimpu, Itanagar - Papum Pare district, Pasighat, Boleng - East Siang district) ), Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, N Myanmar (= Burma), Laos,
China (Yunnan, Yizang = Tibet).

Type locality: "Nepal"