The Malayan krait is a highly venomous species of snake found in Southeast Asia. Dorsally, it has a pattern of dark-brown, black, or bluish-black crossbands on the body and tail, which are narrowed and rounded on the sides. The first crossband is continuous with the dark color of the head. The dark crossbands are separated by broad, yellowish-white interspaces, which may be spotted with black. Ventrally, it is uniformly white.
Malayan kraits occur from Indochina south to Java and Bali in Indonesia. Their preferred habitat includes moist forests and plantations usually in close proximity to water.
Malayan kraits are mainly active at night and lead a secretive solitary life. They are ground-dwelling and generally slow snakes but are capable of moving quickly when escaping danger. If approached or provoked they will strike aggressively without warning signs.
In mice, the intravenous LD50 for this species is 0.1 mg/kg. Its mortality rate is 60–70% in untreated humans. The amount of venom injected is 5 mg, while the lethal dose for a 75kg human is 1 mg
Malayan kraits are carnivores. They mainly hunt other snakes but will also eat lizards, frogs, mice, and small animals.
Malayan kraits are egg-laying snakes. Each clutch consists of 4 to 10 eggs which are guarded by the females until they hatch. The snakelets measure about 30 cm (11.8 in) in length and are able to fend for themselves right after birth.
Malayan kraits are not considered endangered at present. However, in some parts of their native range, these snakes are heavily collected and sold for food, skins, and traditional medicine.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Malayan krait total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
