The Keeled Slug Snake (Pareas carinatus) is a small, nocturnal, arboreal snake that primarily feeds on snails and slugs. It is characterized by a slender body, keeled (ridged) scales, and a distinctively broad head with large eyes adapted for night vision. The coloration is usually brown or grayish with darker crossbars or mottling, providing excellent camouflage among leaf litter or branches. This species is commonly found in forests, plantations, and humid lowland areas across Southeast Asia.
Keeled Slug Snake
Pareas carinatus
🐍 Non-venomous
Description
Venomous?
No, it is non-venomous.
A Danger to Humans?
Not aggressive and completely harmless to humans. When threatened, it may flatten its body or open its mouth as a bluff display but rarely attempts to bite.
Population Size
Stable
Life Span
-
WEIGHT
30.5 g
LENGTH
450 mm-600 mm
Ar
Arboreal
Ca
Carnivore
No
Nocturnal
Te
Terrestrial
Classification
KINGDOM
:
Animalia
PHYLUM
:
Chordata
CLASS
:
Reptilia
ORDER
:
Squamata
FAMILY
:
Pareidae
GENUS
:
Pareas
SPECIES
:
Pareas carinatus
Distribution
These snakes are found in lowland rain forests to an altitude of 1800 m above sea level. In Bali it has been found in montane forests and agricultural areas with high rainfall with an altitude of 700 m and 1200 m above sea level.
Geography
Continent : Asia
Country : Cina (Yunnan), Asia Tenggara, Kalimantan, and Indonesia from Sumatera until Lombok.
Habits and Lifestyle
These snakes are nocturnal and slow enough to move so they are easy to catch. As the name implies, this snake likes snails as its main food. Although it lives and roams the ground, this snake can also climb plants or other vegetation. Snail snakes are not venomous and harmless to humans.
Lifestyle
Nocturnal, Terrestrial, and Arboreal
Biome
Rain Forest
Climate Zone
Tropical
Diet and Nutrition
The main food of this snake is snails.
Diet : Carnivora
Mating Habits
The Keeled Slug Snake (Pareas carinatus) reproduce by laying eggs (ovipar). The number of eggs produced is 3 to 8 eggs, measuring 22 by 11 m. The total length of the newly hatched tillers is about 150 – 180 mm
Rreproduction session : –
Incubation periods: –
Independent age : at birth
Baby name : –
Baby carrying : 3 – 8 eggs
Population
Population status : Least Concern (LC)
NE
DD
LC
NT
VU
EN
CR
EW
EX
Population threats
This species is likely to be threatened by massive destruction of forests or the wild due to infrastructure development and agricultural expansion.
Population number
On the IUCN Red List, this species is included in the “least concern” category because it is widely distributed and, although dependent on the presence of several forest areas, is somewhat tolerant of habitat disturbance, so it is unlikely to decline fast enough to warrant listing in a more threatened category.
PHOTO GALLERY
Reference
- Pareas carinatus Wikipedia article
- Wogan, G. & Vogel, G. 2012. Pareas carinatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species2012: e.T192235A2059305
- McKay, J.L. 2006. Reptil and Amphibi di Bali. Krieger Publishing Company, Florida, USA.