Snake FinderField Guide · Worldwide

Colubridae

Big-eyed Bamboo Snake

Harmless

Pseudoxenodon macrops

Big-eyed Bamboo Snake
Pseudoxenodon macrops, © Jigu
Big-eyed Bamboo SnakeBig-eyed Bamboo SnakeBig-eyed Bamboo SnakeBig-eyed Bamboo Snake

5 photographs of the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake. © Jigu.

The Big-eyed Bamboo Snake (Pseudoxenodon macrops) is a non-venomous snake in the Colubridae family, recorded in 11 countries.

Family
Colubridae

About the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake

Pseudoxenodon macrops, commonly known as the large-eyed bamboo snake or the big-eyed bamboo snake, is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake endemic to Asia.

Description

P. macrops is a fairly variable species with brownish and almost blackish shades with short crossbars.

Diet

P. macrops preys on frogs and lizards.

Venom

P. macrops is a mildly venomous species. However, the potency of its venom is currently unknown.

Reproduction

P. macrops is an oviparous species. An adult female may lay as many as 10 eggs.

Subspecies

There are three known subspecies including, the nominotypical subspecies.

Pseudoxenodon macrops fukiensis Pope, 1928

Pseudoxenodon macrops macrops (Blyth, 1855)

Pseudoxenodon macrops sinensis Boulenger, 1904

Nota bene: A binomial authority or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pseodoxenodon.

Geographic range

P. macrops is found in Northeast India (Darjeeling, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram), Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, West Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, SW China (Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Sichuan, Guizhou ?, Gansu). It is also found in Sylhet region of Bangladesh.

Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked: Big-eyed Bamboo Snake

Is the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake venomous?
No. The Big-eyed Bamboo Snake (Pseudoxenodon macrops) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
Is the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake poisonous?
Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Big-eyed Bamboo Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake dangerous?
The Big-eyed Bamboo Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
Where does the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake live?
The Big-eyed Bamboo Snake has verified records in 11 countries, including China, Viet Nam, India. See the distribution section below for its full range.
What does the Big-eyed Bamboo Snake eat?
P. macrops preys on frogs and lizards.

Where it is found

More Colubridae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards
Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits
Colubridae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species
Pseudoxenodon
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name
Pseudoxenodon macrops

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Background: Wikipedia. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.