How to Tell a Many-Banded Krait from a White-Banded Wolf Snake? A Detailed Guide to Identification Techniques

The many-banded krait and the white-banded wolf snake look extremely alike, but one is venomous and the other is not. How do we tell them apart?

The many-banded krait, commonly known as Guojixia, Baijiehei, Jinqianbaihuashe, Yinjiadai, Yinbaotie, and so on. Its venom is extremely potent, making it the fourth most venomous snake on land. It is an independent species under the family Elapidae - genus Bungarus, namely the many-banded krait species, and currently has two subspecies, the nominate subspecies and the Yunnan subspecies.

The white-banded wolf snake was formerly named the white-banded snake. It is a reptile of the family Colubridae, genus Lycodon. Non-venomous.

Distinguishing features of the many-banded krait:

1. The vertebral ridge is very prominent, the body's cross-section is triangular, and the row of vertebral scales down the center of the back is enlarged into a hexagonal shape.

2. Black and white are sharply distinct, the stripes are regular, clean and striking.

3. The neck is thick and short, the head is oval, and the distinction between head and neck is not obvious.

4. The tail is short and thick, tapering noticeably from the cloaca to the tip.

Distinguishing features of the white-banded wolf snake:

1. The snake's body is smooth, and the vertebral ridge is not obvious, but this point is not absolute; the key is still whether there are enlarged hexagonal scales in the center of the back.

2. The black and white stripes are messy and blurry, the boundaries of the white stripes are unclear, and black is often mixed in; the closer to the lower half of the body, the blurrier and more scattered the white stripes become.

3. It has a slender neck, the head is slightly pear-shaped, and the distinction between head and neck is very obvious.

4. The tail is slender and long, with a relatively long tail tip, making the whole snake look slim and elongated.

To sum up, if the snake's body is plump, the black and white pattern is irregular, the white stripes are rather blurry, and the head is small with a long tail, it is most likely a white-banded wolf snake.

But when you spot one in the wild and do not have time to observe carefully, treat it as a many-banded krait in every case, do not touch it, and keep as far away as possible.