The common krait, also called the Indian krait or the blue krait, is a unique species of venomous snake belonging to the genus Bungarus Ocala to the Indian subcontinent.
This animal has a spot among the “big four” species of snakes, and it inflicts the most snakebites on people in India.
Scientific Classification
- Family: Elapidae
- Scientific name: Bungarus caeruleus
- Class: Reptilia
- Higher classification: Indian krait
- Phylum: Chordata
- Rank: Species
Description of Common Krait
- Length: The common krait grows to an average length of 0.9 m (3.0 ft), but some have grown to 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in).
- Tail: The Males of this snake are longer, with proportionately longer tails.
- Head and body: The head of this reptile is flat, and the neck is hardly apparent. The eyes are rather tiny, with rounded pupils indistinguishable in life. The body of the snake is cylindrical and tapers towards the tail. The tail of the krait is short and rounded. As for the head shields are regular, without loreals; four shields appear along the margin of the snake’s lower lip; the third and fourth supraoculars touch the eye.
- Scales: The scales of this snake are highly polished, having 15-17 rows; the vertebral row of scale is enlarged and hexagonal.
- Coloration: The krait is generally bluish-black or black, with around 40 tiny, white crossbars, sometimes indistinct or absent anteriorly. However, the pattern is complete and can be easily spotted as they are well defined in the young krait, which is marked with conspicuous crossbars even ventrally. The narrow white lines in older snakes may be noticed as a series of connected spots, with a bold spot on the vertebral area. A white spot in front of the eyes may be present; the belly and the upper lips are white.
Distribution and Habitat
This snake species is spotted mainly in the central Indian Peninsular, from Sindh in Pakistan to the West Bengal plains and even Dharmanagar and Tripura.
The krait also occurs throughout Southern parts of India and Sri Lanka at highlands or elevations up to about 1600 m. Locations where these snakes have also been recorded include Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Its natural range is made up of a wide variety of habitats. Kraits are found in low-scrub jungles, fields, and inhabited areas. The snake is known to take abode in rat holes, termite mounds, brick piles, and even inside houses.
Kraits are also frequently found in areas with or near a water source.
Feeding
The common krait is known to feed majorly on other snakes, including the “blind worms” (snakes belonging to the genus Typhlops), and eat other kraits, including the freshly born ones.
The snake also feeds on little mammals like rats, mice, frogs, and lizards. The young Kraits are known to eat arthropods.
Behavior
Behavioral differences in this snake have been reported during day and night, mostly in B. caeruleus.
In the day, it is a sluggish snake and generally docile. It can often be found hiding in loose soil, rodent holes, or beneath the debris, so it is rarely spotted. It often rolls its body to form a loose, coiled ball, keeping its head properly concealed.
When in this ‘coiled’ up condition, the snake doesn’t have a problem with considerable handling, but any slight overhandling will instigate bites.
However, once it’s night, this snake becomes very active and escapes by hissing loudly or staying still, occasionally dishing out nasty bites on the source of the annoyance.
When agitated, this snake will coil up with its head hidden and its body flattened, making jerky movements.
Occasionally, it may also raise its tail. It is a snake often reluctant to bite, but when it eventually does, it usually holds on for a while, which makes it easy for this snake to inject large amounts of venom.
The snake may become aggressive at night time if threatened, mainly because this is the time when it is most active. It is responsible for the 2nd highest reported snake bites in India. In Bangladesh, the krait is responsible for 28% of snake bites.
Krait Venom
The venom of the common krait consists mainly of potent neurotoxins, which usually induce muscle paralysis. Clinically, the venom of these snakes contains presynaptic and postsynaptic neurotoxins, which will generally affect the synaptic cleft.
Kraits are nocturnal snakes, so they seldom come in contact with humans during daylight hours; most reported incidents occur majorly at night.
Frequently, it is reported that little or no pain is felt from a krait bite, which can offer victims a false sense of reassurance. Typically, victims of krait bites complain of severe abdominal cramps, followed by progressive paralysis.
There may be an occurrence of death from the envenoming, and that will likely take place between four to eight hours after the bite happens. The cause of death from krait bite is a general respiratory failure (suffocation).
During the wet or rainy season, the krait often emerges from their holes or hiding places and takes refuge inside dry houses. If a person suffers a krait bite while asleep, he or she may not realize he has been struck, as the bite typically feels like that of a mosquito or an ant.
The victim may die before they get the chance to wake up. Krait bites are notable for eliciting tiny amounts of local inflammation/swelling. This inflammation may help identify species if the victim sees the snake.
Symptoms of Krait Bite
There are a few symptoms of a krait bite, and they include:
- Tightening of the victim’s facial muscles in one to two hours of the snake bite;
- The inability of the victim who has been bitten to see or talk
- If left untreated, the victim may die from respiratory paralysis within four to five hours of being bitten.
A clinical toxicology study offers an untreated mortality rate of about 70-80%. It has been recorded that in Bangladesh, more than half of the total number of reported snake bite deaths is caused by the common krait.
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