Venomous snake species in Vietnam stands out with its 'white mourning head'

If cobras stand out thanks to their ability to raise their heads and spread their necks to threaten, another venomous snake in Vietnam stands out and is easily recognizable thanks to its deadly white head.

Silverhead Coral - A venomous snake easily recognized by its distinctive white head

Vietnam is a country with a diverse ecosystem, especially reptiles. Vietnam currently has about 200 recorded snake species, of which about 30 are identified as venomous. Venomous snakes in Vietnam have a rich habitat, from high mountains, tropical forests, plains to even under the sea.

Among the venomous snakes distributed in Vietnam, some species possess characteristics that help people identify them easily, such as cobras that can raise their heads and spread their hoods when threatened, or sea snakes in Vietnam, all of which possess deadly venom.

Another venomous snake that has characteristics that help people easily identify it for protection is the silver-headed coral snake.

The silver-headed coral snake is notable for its deep red body, horizontal body stripes and white head (Photo: Parinya Herp Pawangkhanant).

Silver-headed coral snake is the common name of 3 species of coral snakes distributed in Vietnam , including Macclellandi coral snake (scientific name Sinomicrurus macclellandi), Guangxi coral snake (Sinomicrurus peinani) and Gunther coral snake (scientific name (Sinomicrurus annularis). These are species of the coral snake genus, cobra family.

Silverhead coral is a small snake, about 40 to 80cm long, thin body, small head indistinguishable from the body. Females are larger than males.

A silver-headed coral snake with black spots on its body, instead of black stripes. Photo taken at the top of Ba Na, Da Nang (Photo: SIFASV).

The dorsal surface of this snake is reddish brown with black horizontal stripes, and the ventral surface is creamy white with dark horizontal stripes and spots. Sometimes the horizontal stripes on the body of this snake are replaced by dark black spots.

The silver-headed coral snake's most distinctive feature is its white head, which gives it its common name. Above and below the white head are two bold black stripes.

Habitat and food of the silver-headed coral snake

Despite its name, this snake does not live near or under the sea, but in mountainous areas from 1,000 to 2,000m high. The silver-headed coral snake is distributed in many countries in Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, northern Myanmar, Thailand, southern China, Vietnam.

In Vietnam , this snake species is found in high mountainous areas in provinces and cities such as Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Vinh Phuc, Quang Binh, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Lam Dong, Dak Nong.

Close-up of the white head of a Gunther's coral snake (Photo: Caius Cheung).

The silver-headed coral snake lives mainly at night, on hillsides and tropical forest floors. This snake often hides under dry leaves to hunt and avoid enemies. The main food of this snake is small animals such as lizards, frogs, small birds, mice or some other small snakes.

When threatened, the silver-headed coral snake will quickly hide under rotting leaves. If it cannot hide, it will curl its tail as a way to fool its predators into not knowing where its head is.

Silver tip coral curls its tail to fool its enemies, making it difficult for them to see where its head is to attack (Photo: iNaturalist).

How poisonous is the silver coral snake?

Many people often compare the white head of this snake to a mourning scarf to show the level of venom of the silver-headed coral snake.

As mentioned above, the silver-headed coral is a species of cobra, possessing deadly neurotoxic venom . When bitten by this snake, the victim will experience drooping eyelids, reduced vision, muscle paralysis, difficulty breathing. if not treated promptly, it can lead to death.

However, the silver-headed coral snake is a shy snake, often trying to hide and rarely actively attacking humans. In addition, the silver-headed coral snake has a habitat and distribution in areas where humans often live, so there are not many cases of humans being bitten by this snake.

However, if you come across a silver-headed coral snake (you can easily identify it by its distinctive white head), you should try to stay away from it or chase it away from your living area. Absolutely do not try to capture the snake to avoid being bitten.