Green Keelback

Fascinating facts about the Green Keelback

• At just 2 ft (61 cm) long, the green keelback has a viper-like body and dorsal scales that are strongly keeled in 23-27 rows.
• When threatened, this snake can flatten its neck and raise its head like a cobra, or even press its whole body flat against the ground, mimicking a larger venomous cousin despite being non-venomous. Such theatrical displays illustrate how behavior can compensate for lack of toxin, confusing predators long enough for the keelback to escape.
• The green keelback's menu is almost entirely toads, a diet so specialized that its stomach is essentially a toad-processing unit. By focusing on a single prey type, the snake has honed a hunting strategy that thrives in the amphibian-rich wetlands of its range, revealing the tight ecological links between predator and prey.
• A specimen was once recorded at 4,700 ft (1,400 m) in the Anaimalai Hills, proving the species can live far above the tropical lowlands most think of as snake country. This altitude tolerance expands its habitat map across hilly landscapes of peninsular India, Sri Lanka, and even into Bangladesh and Myanmar, showing adaptability to varied climates.

At a glance

About the Green Keelback

The green keelback, Rhabdophis plumbicolor, presents a stout, viper-like silhouette that reaches about two feet (61 cm) in total length. Its dorsal surface is a muted green, sometimes flecked with faint black markings, while the belly ranges from whitish to yellow or a leaden hue. Young snakes are strikingly patterned, bearing an inverted black V on the neck that points forward to the frontal shield, a second smaller V behind it, and a bright yellow or orange interspace. The head is set off by a moderately large eye, a barely visible rostral scale from above, and a series of keeled dorsal scales arranged in 23 to 27 rows at mid-body. The ventrals number 144–160, the anal plate is usually divided, and the subcaudals number 35–50. When threatened, this gentle serpent can flatten its neck and raise its head in a cobra-like display, or even spread its entire body along the ground, a surprising defensive flourish for a non-venomous colubrid. Its diet is specialized, feeding mainly on toads, and it reproduces by laying eggs, a trait shared with many of its Asian relatives. The species inhabits the hilly landscapes of peninsular India and Sri Lanka, with records extending to Pune in Maharashtra, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and possibly Pakistan; a notable specimen was discovered at 4,700 ft (1,400 m) in the Anaimalai Hills by William Ruxton Davison, underscoring its adaptability to varied elevations.

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