#red-headed krait

[lanecross]

Red-headed Krait (Bungarus flaviceps) one of the highly venomous elapid snake that has awesome striking colouration. Red-headed kraits are nocturnal, semi-aquatic and inhabits rain forests in mountainous and hilly regions.

First time road cruising and our guide Steven spotted this beauty. Honestly, I was fighting not to fall asleep in the car, but that moment and their excitement woke me up. Good memory for our first road cruising :)

[daily-snake]

Today’s snake is the red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps). It is a venomous elapid snake found in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, South India, and Borneo.

[thlpp]

One of the coolest herps from the Nov 2017 Borneo Herp Tour: Red-headed Krait (Bungarus flaviceps baluensis). Extremely shy too!

[exotic-venom]

(Bungarus flaviceps) red-headed krait The red-headed krait is an extremely venomous snake, although bites are reported rarely. Krait venom appears to function primarily as a neurotoxin, preventing communication across neuromuscular synapses, causing paralysis and death by asphyxiation because the victims can no longer breathe on their own. When the venom from the red-headed krait takes effect, the most highly innervated muscles are the first to suffer: the muscle that elevates the upper eyelid and the ocular and ciliary muscles controlling the lens. Between 20 minutes and several hours after being bitten, the victim may have a real struggle to keep his or her eyelids open. This medical condition is known as bilateral ptosis and it is a classic, tell-tale sign of severe envenomation. Other common symptoms include diplopia, dysphagia, vomiting, headache, and hypersalivation. Sometime later the symptoms of paralysis tend to worsen, with progressive involvement of various muscles, including those of the jaws, in some cases, become locked. Respiratory distress may occur as a result of paralysis of the diaphragm, the main muscle controlling breathing. Its venom also contains a novel postsynaptic neurotoxin, termed κ-flavitoxin, which is a potent inhibitor of nicotinic transmission in autonomic ganglia. Neurotoxic symptoms may resolve naturally, or more rapidly through administration of antivenin or drugs that inactivate acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme which naturally destroys the chemical messenger carrying signals from nerves to muscles at the neuromuscular synapse.

[exotic-venom]

(Bungarus flaviceps) red-headed krait

[exotic-venom]

(Bungarus flaviceps) red-headed krait

Very neurotoxic.

[exotic-venom]

(Bungarus flaviceps) Red-headed krait, Yellow-headed krait, Rotkopf krait Little known about venom; likely potently neurotoxic. Few bites of humans recorded, but potentially lethal to humans.

[thlpp]

Red-headed Krait (Bungarus flaviceps) by Chris Hay Via Flickr: An adult Red-headed Krait, Bungarus flaviceps, observed nocturnally active in a rain forest river, Tioman Island, Malaysia.