Nicobar cat snake
Boiga wallachi, also known commonly as the Nicobar cat snake, is a species of rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Nicobar Islands.
The specific name, wallachi, is in honour of Van Wallach, an American herpetologist.
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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starts withB. wallachi is a medium-sized member of its genus, measuring 73.5–105.0 cm (28.9–41.3 in) in snout-to-vent length (SVL) and reaching a total body length (including tail) of at least 131 cm (52 in). The head is small and distinct from the neck; the eyes are large. The dorsum is cinnamon-coloured and edged with brownish olive. The ventrum is spectrum yellow with dark, rounded blotches.
B. wallachi is known from the islands of Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar.
B. wallachi is a nocturnal snake inhabiting undisturbed tropical moist forests, at altitudes of 300–400 m (980–1,310 ft). It seems to be strictly terrestrial. It feeds on eggs (including those of domestic chickens) as well as on frogs and other small animals.
B. wallachi is oviparous.
As of 2013 populations of B. wallachi seemed stable, although they might have been significantly reduced by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. B. wallachi can enter anthropogenic habitats to forage, but it is unclear whether it can persist in such habitats. The species occurs within the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, but there is no strict habitat protection.
