Cave Racer

Snakes ~ Rat Snakes ~ Cave Racer

Cave racers, or cave rat snakes, are large-bodied rat snakes that occur in both cave habitats and all levels of rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia. The overall complexion is a cream body with a bluish head, including a black stripe through the eye that starts from the snout and ends at the neck. The light colouration of the upper body tapers off into black from the middle onwards, with a vertebral yellowish white stripe. Cave racers from the north of Malaysia have a silvery white colouration on the upper body while those from the center region have variable colouration that ranges from reddish brown to brick orange.

This rat snake species is extremely aggressive and active, capable of inflicting a painful bite. Females lay up between 8-15 eggs in a single clutch and breeding has been casually observed to occur all-year-round in the wild. They are adapt at hunting and feeding on a wide variety of prey, including bats, birds, rodents and other small mammals using constriction. They are considered arboreal and are active during the day and night. Cave racers are limited to Southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia.