The gray cat snake (''Boiga siamensis''), also known as eyed cat snake or Siamese cat snake is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of catsnake found in northeastern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Description

The Siamese cat snake resembles the dog-toothed snake but it occupies a different geographical range. It is a large snake, reaching almost 2 m (6 1⁄2 ft) in total length. Colours are greyish-brown with black crossbars that are most distinct interiorly. The head is dark brown with a dark streak from behind the eye to the first body crossbar that is broken just beyond the last supralabial. The chin and throat are white, the ventrals white to light brown

Behavior and venom

Mostly nocturnal, it is a potentially aggressive snake. It is a rear fanged venom snake but there are not known casualties registered.

Geographic range

It is found in

, and

. It is also found in Laos.

Habitat

These snakes are found in forest-hills and

plain In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...

s and can be found up to 1,700 m (5,577 ft.). They are arboreal but can be found near water too.

Diet

This snake feeds on,

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s, and

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

Reproduction

''Boiga siamensis'' is an oviparous species, with sexually mature females laying eggs, 6–12 per clutch

Gallery

File:Boiga siamensis - Siamese cat snake (juvenile).jpg, ''Boiga siamensis'', Siamese cat snake (juvenile) File:Boiga siamensis on tree.jpg, Siamese cat snake, ''Boiga siamensis'' from

Kaeng Krachan National Park Kaeng Krachan National Park (, , ) is the largest List of national parks of Thailand, national park of Thailand. It is on the border with Myanmar (Burma), contiguous with the Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. It is a popular park owing to its proximit ...

. File:Thai cat snake from Birpara Tea Garden.jpg, Thai cat snake from Dalgaon,

Alipurduar Alipurduar (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Alipurduar district and Alipurduar railway division of NFR. It is situated in the Western Dooars natural region, on the banks of Kaljani River in the ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. File:A Thai cat snake from Birpara.jpg, Thai cat snake from Dalgaon,

References

siamensis Snakes of Vietnam Snakes of Asia Reptiles of Bangladesh Reptiles of Cambodia Reptiles of India Reptiles of the Malay Peninsula Reptiles of Myanmar Reptiles of Thailand Reptiles of Vietnam Reptiles described in 1971 {{Colubrinae-stub