| 1 | Sawtoothed necked bronzeback |
The bronzeback snake family is huge, with 11 living in Thailand alone and over 40 worldwide. Dendrelaphis nigroserratus is one that was born in 2012, amid a vast survey that saw 367 new species identified in Mekong.
This species lives in western and southwestern Thailand, on the Myanmar border. The saw-toothed necked bronzeback has been known about for over 100 years, but was originally declared as a Wall’s bronzeback population (a version with particularly huge eyes). Patterns revealed the difference, as this version had a unique black stripe travelling tailwards from each eye. At the neck, the colour becomes intermittently broken, and this creates the namesake sawtooth patterns, alternating repeatedly with yellow.
This is also one of the largest of the bronzeback family. 80-100cm is the norm, while one roadkill female measured 1.63 metres. No matter how long they are, they keep the usual thin, whiplike body.
The sawtooth necked bronzeback is found in evergreen forests around 800 metres in altitude, including in bamboo thickets, often close to streams. Dendrelaphis nigroserratus moves by day, and has been observed eating frogs, like most bronzebacks.
| 2 | Hua Hin kukri snake |
Only 7 living members of this species have ever been discovered. The Hua Hin kukri snake (Oligodon huahin) was discovered in 2016, going unnoticed for thousands of years of human civilisation. The 7 living snakes were found in a 1000 square metre area.
The Hua hin kukri snake has an amber colour, but sometimes more like dried leaves, which is convenient given that it often lives in dried leaves. Hua hin kukri snakes also live in bamboo forests, and coexist with several far more common species, such as monocled cobras and green catsnakes. The most common kukri snake in Thailand is the small-banded kukri snake (Oligodon fasciolatus), which inhabits virtually the whole country and is abundant in Bangkok itself. This is a sandy colour with noticeable brown bands, while the new version was darker.
Although little about its lifestyle is known, all 7 snakes were found crossing a road near bamboo stalks at 6:15-7:15pm, which hints that they’re most active at dusk. The location was approximately a 4 hour drive from Thailand. Later, the team found a dead Hua Hin kukri snake on a road 12km. Clearly, its range wasn’t as narrow as thought; the snake was just an expert at flying under the radar for centuries.
| 3 | Indochinese long-nosed whip snake |
A relative of the bizarre Asian vine snake. This snake shares similar attributes. There’s an ultra green body which can be mistaken for a swinging vine, only for jaws to open from nowhere and swallow lizards (its main prey). There’s disturbingly shaped pupils, which in this case are horizontal. There’s a thin body and a mostly tree-dwelling nature. The Indochinese long-nosed whip snake is found across Thailand except in the southern peninsula region, and is common around Bangkok. Originally, it belonged to the species Ahaetulla nasuta, also found in India and Sri Lanka, until this was split, with the eastern colonies becoming Ahaetulla fusca in 2022.
Ahaetulla fusca is the longest of the vine snakes in Thailand, sometimes reaching 2 metres. This snake coexists with Asian vine snakes (Ahaetulla prasina), but is genetically separated enough not to interbreed. The main difference is their extremely long nose, produced by a protruding scale. This is particularly noticeable head on. The Asian vine snake has a smooth face while the long-nosed whipsnake looks crinkled like it should be wearing reading glasses. This nose even upturns at the end, looking like a scooping tool (which may turn out to be true). This species has a weak venom which only passes the effect threshold if it chews repeatedly.
| 4 | White-bellied ratsnake |
Named for its pristine white belly, which is a monolithic white and has no patterns. This is a less common relative of the oriental ratsnake which strides aggressively around towns and cities. White-bellied ratsnakes are more common along forest streams away from towns, but will venture to hillsides 50 metres away.
They’re completely harmless, and have a classic tendency to freeze when confronted. When it detects a human, it stays motionless rather than fleeing, keeping its neck raised up. Eventually, it begins to move its neck from side to side. This species also has white eyes which brightly reflect a camera’s flash.
The white-bellied ratsnake sticks to the southern peninsula regions of Thailand, and is also common in Singapore. Their colours looks generic at first glance, but they have a clear order. Ptyas fusca has a brown back, a clean white belly, and a black stripe on each flank separating the two. Their tongue is an oily blue colour, while their freezing tendencies mean that they’re very easy to photograph, as they commonly stay still for 1 minute. White-bellied ratsnakes can reach 2 metres long.
| 5 | Hagen’s pit viper |
A savage, dangerous pitviper, which thankfully only exists in the far south of Thailand. Hagen’s pitvipers also live in Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia and look similar to other Trimeresurus pitvipers at first glance. They have razor sharp vertical pupils and are cloaked thoroughly in green. They also dwell in forests and are strong tree climbers.
However, Trimersurus hageni has subtle yet strong differences from the most common in Thailand, the white-lipped pitviper. Its eyes are green rather than yellow, continuing unbroken from its scales. It has a blue patch above its lips, and its head is particularly bulky. Hagen’s pitviper also has vivid black skin between each scale, looking like cracks. These black cracks also bleed into the signature white line on their flanks.
Hagen’s pitviper venom contains 216 proteins, and is richest in metalloproteineases, which cleave through living cells. This species eats mainly mammals and is rarely found above 600 metres in altitude. In 2022, they lost some territory, as three new Trimeresurus species were split off, replacing Hagen’s pitviper on Siberut Island, Nias Island and Simeulue Island. This pitviper family is constantly spitting out new species.
| 6 | Large-eyed bamboo snake |
This weird snake looks like a cobra with at least one frog grandparent. It’s also called the Chinese false cobra, as imitating a cobra is one of its schemes to stay alive, complete with spreadable hood. The large eyed bamboo snake (Pseudoxenodon macrops) also has venom of its own, though the exact strength is a mystery. This snake lives in forests at moderate to high altitudes, and rarely appears below 1200 metres in Thailand. This means that you won’t find them in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya. Large-eyed bamboo snakes will either flee or bite, if their cobra-mimicking schemes fail – they’re a hard snake to predict. They might even flip onto their back and play dead. Frogs are a popular prey.
The Latin name of macrops references their large eyes. Some think that the hood spread didn’t directly evolve to mimic cobras, but was advantageous independently, as it made them appear larger. However, they also have the signature black chest patches of a cobra, against a paler background.
| 7 | Indochinese ground snake |
“Little known”, “obscure” and “rarely seen” are some of the phrases used to describe this Thai snake. Gongylosoma scriptum inhabits the low hills of western Thailand, crossing the border into Myanmar. They rarely exceed 40cm and move by day, lurking in mulchy forest debris. Finding the exact location they exist in is a nightmare and even then, spotting them is incredibly difficult.
Indochinese ground snakes have extremely large eyes, a pale brown body, and a yellow or cream-coloured belly. They’re also found in loose soil next to forest paths and beneath fallen leaves. Almost all individuals discovered so far have been below cover of some kind. Only a handful of Indochinese ground snakes are stored in museums worldwide.
This species has a thin body and a blunt snout. Nothing is known of their diet in the wild, or their daily life cycle, except that they’re active by day. A 2020 study found 3 more living Indochinese ground snakes in India, but mainly reconfirmed old findings.
| 8 | Butler’s wolf snake |
Butler’s wolf snake (Lycodon butleri) lives in the southern peninsular regions of Thailand, and is just another humble member of the giant Lycodon family (73 members).
Thailand’s most common Lycodon member is the common wolf snake, but this is easily separable, with a white neck collar that Butler’s wolf snake totally lacks. Butler’s wolf snake has a precise 40-50 white bands covering its black body. These are large and widely spaced around the neck, but grow closer together as the (thin and whiplike) tail approaches. Butler’s wolf snakes have no colour change on their bodies; the black and encircling white just continue unaltered.
Butler’s wolf snakes are nocturnal and very dark, two facts which combine to make them rarely seen. They’re a ground-dwelling snake which lives in mountain forests and only bites humans if severely provoked. There’s no bad attitude or nervous twitchiness with Butler’s wolf snake, just the calm spirit of the Thai countryside. Butler’s wolf snake lacks the power to swallow a human whole, measuring just 90cm. They lack any form of venom and mostly prey on lizards.
| 9 | Red whip snake |
A mildly venomous species which has never killed a human on record. This species has a large range, including southern Thailand, peninsular and eastern Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Yet within that entire range, it’s very rare. Their thin body allows them to slip through gaps in bushes and tree roots clusters with ease, and their favourite habitat is evergreen forests below 500 metres.
Red whip snakes (Dryophiops rubescens) vary in colour from clay to brown, and hence are sometimes called brown whip snakes. They’re never actually that red, nothing denser than a brick colour. The reddest part is their bright tongue, which almost looks like lipstick when viewed on, like this is a flirty snake.
This species eats reptiles such as common flying dragons. In Singapore, one landed in a rubber tree directly next to a red whip snake, and was photographed being swallowed. This snake measured 45cm, and they rarely exceed 1 metre. Red whipsnakes like forests, but prefer to stay at the sunnier edges rather than the gnarly interiors. They’re capable of traversing open land, unlike some catsnakes which never leave the safety of canopies.
| 10 | Berdmore’s slug snake |
This snake is fairly widespread in Thailand, yet virtually nothing is known of them. Berdmore’s slug snakes (Pareas berdmorei) live across mainland Thailand including near Bangkok, though are absent from the southern Peninsula regions. They’re often seen resting on juicy green leaves, with their thin bodies entwined around a branch for stability. They have the typical round head of a slug eating snake, with their eyes an orange that is barely any different to their scales.
Berdmore’s slug snakes have an exceptionally thin tail that would probably snap if it tried to poke you. Though normally orange, some are a duller grey colour. Their bodies have consistent encircling bands which are only faint in intensity. About their lifestyle or precise breakdown of their diet, we know virtually nothing.
The keeled slug-eating snake (Pareas carinatus) is another member of the family in Thailand. The Berdmore’s version is slightly longer, at 60-70cm versus 50-60cm. They generally prefer bushes and trees 1 metre above ground, rather than towering in the canopies.