Calamaria schlegeli is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is known commonly as the red-headed reed snake, white-headed reed snake, and pink-headed reed snake. It is native to Southeast Asia, where it occurs in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
The specific name, schlegeli, is in honor of German herpetologist Hermann Schlegel.
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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...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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starts withThe key identification characters for C. schlegeli are modified maxillary teeth and scale characteristics. The third and fourth upper lip scales touch the eye. The mental scale does not touch the anterior chin shields. The nasal scales are oriented laterally. There is considerable geographic variation. Preocular scales are present in snakes from Singapore and Malaya, but absent in those from Java, and sometimes present on those from Borneo and Sumatra.
This nonvenomous red-headed snake is sometimes confused with the blue Malayan coral snake (Calliophis bivirgatus ) and the red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps ), which are venomous.
C. schlegeli lives in forest undergrowth. It sometimes emerges on paths and in yards and gardens. It burrows for cover and feeds on small prey such as worms and insects.
