Pipe Snake

Snakes ~ Other Snakes ~ Pipe Snake

The red-tailed pipe snake is a stout semi-aquatic burrowing species. They occur in lowland rainforest near bodies of water, but can also be found in flooded agricultural areas such as paddy fields. The body is an iridescent black. The ventrals are banded with white and the tail is tipped with red at the bottom.

When distressed, this snake will lift up its tail and flash the brownish orange underside of the tip. They feed mostly on snakes and eels in the wild but will also eat fish and lizards, as observed with captive specimens. In Southeast Asia, this species is found in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Borneo and Indonesia.