Oligodon

Oligodon
Oligodon affinis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Oligodon Boie, 1827
Species
60 to 70 known species

Oligodon, common name kukri snakes, is a genus of snakes native to East and South Asia. Oligodon species are egg eaters and are usually under 90 centimeters (35 inches) in length; different species display widely variable patterns and colorations. They subsist mostly by scavenging the eggs of birds and reptiles. Besides eggs, species of this genus also feeds on lizards, frogs and small rodents. Oligodon is a rear-fanged snake genus. They have a set of enlarged teeth placed in the back of their mouths as well as functional venom glands. They are not dangerous to humans though. Species of Oligodon are mostly nocturnal, and live on the floor of mature forests.

The common name of the genus comes from the kukri, a distinctively shaped Nepalese knife, which is similar in shape to the broad, flattened, curved hind teeth of Oligodon species. These teeth are specially adapted for the Oligodon main diet of eggs; the teeth slit open eggs as they are being swallowed by the snake, allowing for easier digestion.

Species

A partial list of species in the genus is given below:

• Oligodon affinis
• Oligodon albocinctus
• Oligodon arnensis
• Oligodon brevicauda
• Oligodon catenata
• Oligodon cinereus
• Oligodon cyclurus
• Oligodon dorsalis
• Oligodon erythrogaster
• Oligodon erythrorhachis
• Oligodon juglandifer
• Oligodon kampucheaensis
• Oligodon melaneus
• Oligodon melanozonatus
• Oligodon nikhili
• Oligodon sublineatus
• Oligodon taeniolatus
• Oligodon templetoni
• Oligodon theobaldi
• Oligodon venustus
• Oligodon woodmasoni

References

• "Kukri snake". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 7, 2005.
• "Brown Kukri Snake". Wildlife Singapore. Retrieved July 7, 2005