Nature ways: Krait

Mwalimu-G

Elder Lister
On some unique ophidians...

Krait, (genus Bungarus), any of 12 species of highly venomous snakes belonging to the cobra family (Elapidae). Kraits live in Asian forests and farmland from Pakistan to southern China and southward into Indonesia. They are terrestrial, feeding mainly on other snakes but also on frogs, lizards, and small mammals. Kraits are nocturnal hunters and are dangerous to humans only when stepped on or otherwise strongly provoked.


The banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) of Southeast Asia grows to 2 metres (6.6 feet), and other species commonly reach more than a metre in length. All have bodies that are strongly triangular in cross-section. Some are boldly coloured in bands of black and white or yellow; others are dark-bodied with a brightly coloured (often red) head and tail. Kraits lay eggs in clutches of 2–14, depending on the species.
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Mwalimu-G

Elder Lister
The three major families of venomous snakes are the Elapidae, the Viperidae, and the Hydrophidae.

Elapidae (cobra, king cobra, krait, and coral snake): These snakes have heads that are of about the same width as their necks. The head is covered with large scales but lack laureal shields. Their pupils are round and they are oviparous. These snakes have grooved fangs that are short, fixed, and covered by mucous membrane. They, therefore, cannot bite through clothes and usually deliver only a sublethal dose.

Viperidae (vipers): The head of a viper is triangular, wider than the neck, and has laureal shields. They have vertically elliptical pupils and are ovi-viviparous. Their fangs are long, movable, and canalized like hypodermic needles. They are further subdivided into pit viper and pitless viper subfamilies. The Crotalinae (pit vipers) have a special sense organ, the pit organ, to detect their warm-blooded prey. This is situated between the nostril and the eye. The rattlesnake belongs to the pit viper subfamily, while the Russell's viper and the saw-scaled viper belong to the pitless viper subfamily.

Hydrophidae (sea snake): Sea snakes are found in the vicinity of the seacoast. They have a small head and a flattened tail that helps them swim. Though venomous, they seldom bite.

In India, more than 200 species of snakes have been identified but only 52 are poisonous; the common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Indian cobra (Naja naja), Russell's viper (Daboia russelii), and saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) are the most poisonous (“the big four”).[10,11] In the Indian setting, almost two-thirds of bites are attributed to saw-scaled vipers, about one-fourth to Russell's viper, and only a small proportion to cobras and kraits.[12,13]
 

emali

Elder Lister
Not all cobras bite. Some do spit.
those that spit will also bite.. spitting is just a clever evolutionary trick so the animal avoids unnecessary close encounters with animals not on its menu.. a good example is our very own red spitting cobra..a very beautiful animal.. mostly found in the savannahs where encounters with large animals is common....
 
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