Snakes with colorful and unique patterns in Vietnam!

In Vietnam, there is a species of snake that possesses colorful scales with beautiful patterns. What kind of snake is it and is it dangerous to humans?

Striped snake - A snake species with unique patterns on its body

The snake mentioned above is the mandarin snake , with the scientific name Euprepiophis mandarinus .

Surely, many people will feel very unfamiliar with the name of this snake, partly because the garter snake is a reclusive snake, often living in mountainous areas at least 3,000m above sea level, so it rarely encounters humans.

The Mandarin garter snake, also known as the Mandarin rat snake, is a species of water snake. This snake is endemic to Asia, distributed in Vietnam, China, Taiwan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand.

In Vietnam, this snake species is distributed in the northern mountainous provinces and Lam Dong.

Distribution map of the garter snake's habitat (Photo: Wikipedia).

This snake species usually lives in forests, on the banks of streams or in grasslands on hills and mountains. The main food of the garter snake is lizards, frogs, toads, mice, birds, rodents.

The garter snake is a small snake, usually no longer than 1.4 m when fully grown. Unlike other snakes, there is no size difference between males and females of the garter snake.

The head and neck of this snake are not clearly distinct from each other. The snake has a tapered head, suitable for its burrowing lifestyle.

The highlight of the striped catfish is that it has scales with beautiful patterns and colors.

Beautiful patterns on the body of the garter snake. (Photo: AZAnimals).

The snake's back has a series of colorful diamond-shaped markings, usually black, that look like human eyes from a distance. The snake's head has a dark gray mark running across the snout, a second mark running across the top of the head, between the eyes, and a third mark forming an upside-down "V" shape at the nape of the neck. The snake's belly is yellow, with alternating black and gray marks.

Thanks to their distinctive patterns and bright colors, garter snakes can be easily identified, even by people who do not have much knowledge about snakes and reptiles.

The patterns on the body of the garter snake look like human eyes from a distance (Photo: Getty).

Are garter snakes poisonous and dangerous to humans?

Many people often think that the more colorful and beautiful an animal is, the more deadly its venom is, such as poisonous spiders or poisonous frogs in the deep forest. However, this is not the case with garter snakes.

The striped snake is a docile species, so many people choose it as a pet (Photo: Pinterest).

The striped snake is a species of water snake, not possessing venom . This is also a very gentle, shy snake and always tries to hide from humans.

The characteristics of the garter snake such as being gentle, non-venomous and possessing a colorful appearance. have made the garter snake a snake chosen by many animal and reptile lovers as pets.

In captivity, garter snakes can live up to 21 years.

In Vietnam, garter snakes are protected by law and hunting and trading are prohibited.

However, this snake species is currently facing habitat loss and over-hunting for pets due to its high price, causing the number of striped snakes in the natural environment to decrease.

The garter snake has been included in the Vietnam Red Book, prohibiting hunting and trading, in order to protect the number of this snake species in the wild.