A long, slim, alert Asian colubrid often kept by snake charmers, beneficial around villages for controlling rats and rodents.
Description
A long, slender brown or olive colubrid commonly exceeding 2 m, with a noticeably angular head, large eyes, and pale yellow throat with dark cross-streaks at the back of the body. The scales are smooth and lustrous, and the species can move at high speed.
Behavior
Diurnal and active, the dhaman or oriental rat snake is a powerful but non-venomous hunter that eats huge numbers of rats and frogs. It thrives around agriculture and is valued by farmers, even though its large size and ability to deliver a painful bite make it appear formidable.
Range
Distributed across South and Southeast Asia from Iran to Indonesia, in nearly every lowland habitat. It is heavily collected for the skin and meat trade in parts of its range and listed as Near Threatened due to those pressures.
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