Snakes of Southeast Asia : Blue Malayan Coral Snake



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	Text and photos by Nick Baker, unless otherwise stated EcologyAsia 2008 Copyright ©


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Blue Malayan Coral Snake

Specimen seen in the Central Catchment Forest, Singapore. Family : ELAPIDAE Species : Maticora bivirgata Maximum Size : 1.8 metres References : H1, H2 Photo thanks to Julie Ebbinghaus	This is a beautiful, but highly venomous front-fanged species - if bitten, its neurotoxic venom can cause death. It inhabits primary forest floors, but can also be found in mature secondary forest. Nocturnal in habits, it may sometimes be encountered stretched across forest trails in the early morning. The body is dark blue, with a lighter blue stripe along each side. The head, tail and ventral surface are bright red. Its primary food source is other snakes. There are 3 sub-species : Maticora bivirgata bivirgata inhabits Java, and M. b. flaviceps is found from Burma, Thailand and Cambodia through West Malaysia and Singapore to Sumatra and various islands of the Riau Archipelago. M. b. tetrataenia inhabits Borneo.