Forsten's Cat Snake

Fascinating facts about the Forsten's Cat Snake

• A 19th-century herpetologist measured the longest Forsten's cat snake at 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m), with a tail that alone was a full foot (30 cm) long, a reminder that even modest-sized snakes can rival small dogs in length.
• When counting its belly rings, researchers found between 259 and 270 ventral scales and 106 to 131 subcaudal scales, a scale-count pattern that helps scientists spot this species in the field among dozens of similar snakes.
• The anterior palatine and mandibular teeth are considerably larger than the others, and B. forsteni possesses a mild venom.
• Living in both lowland forests and farms across Nepal, Sri Lanka, and many Indian states, Forsten's cat snake is active at night and spends most of its time in trees, showing how a single species can thrive from pristine woodlands to human-altered landscapes.
• Sexually mature females lay 5–10 eggs, and in India the eggs are laid in August and September.

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