The red-banded snake is a nonvenomous snake of East Asia, including Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan, with alternating black and reddish bands. It isn't found in the wild in the US. It hunts at night and is also called the "Asian king snake" because it eats other snakes.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A medium-to-large snake, usually about 2–4 ft (60–120 cm) long and occasionally up to about 4.3 ft (1.3 m). It has a long, flattish head set off from the neck, medium-sized eyes with vertical pupils, and reddish-brown crossbands alternating with black.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- River plains
- Rice fields
- Villages
- Streamsides
- Range
- Native to East Asia: the Korean Peninsula, southern Primorsky Krai in Russia, mainland China and Taiwan, Japan's Tsushima Islands, and northeastern Vietnam. It does not occur in the wild in the United States.
- Preferred conditions
- Found from near sea level up to about 6,600 ft (2,000 m), most often on river plains and near water and villages. It lives mostly on the ground but sometimes swims in streams.
Behavior
- Diet
- Fish, frogs and toads, lizards, other snakes, young birds, and small mammals.
- Activity
- Active at night.
- Social life
- Generally mild. When disturbed it often coils into a ball with its head hidden, though some individuals bite readily.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Lays eggs, usually about ten per clutch.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Considered nonvenomous, though clinical data are limited. Its meat can carry tapeworm larvae, and eating it raw has caused human infections () in Korea and Japan.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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