Pareidae
Pareas niger
HarmlessThis species has no widely used English common name.
Pareas niger is a non-venomous snake in the Pareidae family, recorded in 1 country.
- Family
- Pareidae
About the Pareas niger
Pareas niger, also known as the black snail-eating snake and the Mengzi snail-eating snake, is a non-venomous species of snake endemic to Yunnan, China.
Description
Pareas niger has a black tail and a largely black dorsum. Its loreal scales do not touch the eyes, and 7 rows of scales are keeled at the mid-body. The solid black top of its head extends to the loreal and lower anterior temporal scales where it breaks down into dots, continuing to break down into scattered speckling at the lower labial scales.
The black of its neck and back is interrupted by irregular light areas that reach upward from the similarly light ventral scales in broken bands that grow stronger toward the snake's posterior. The belly is light except for irregular, sparse mottling.
Behaviour
Like other snakes in its genus, P. niger is a nocturnal, oviparous, mostly arboreal snail and slug-eating snake.
Distribution
Best recorded in deciduous broadleaf forests with subtropical monsoon climates near Mengzi City, its ideal elevation is roughly 1,900 metres above sea level, though it is likely to occur in the plateaus surrounding Mengzi as well.
Etymology
The species name niger comes from the Latin word for black.
Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.
Frequently asked: Pareas niger
- Is the Pareas niger venomous?
- No. The Pareas niger 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 Pareas niger poisonous?
- Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Pareas niger is neither poisonous nor venomous.
- Is the Pareas niger dangerous?
- The Pareas niger is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
- Where does the Pareas niger live?
- The Pareas niger has verified records in 1 country, including China. See the distribution section below for its full range.
Where it is found
More Pareidae snakes
Classification
How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.
Keep learning
- What to Do If You Find a SnakeFound a snake at home or on a trail? Here is how to stay calm, give it space, identify it safely, and know when to call a professional.
- Venomous vs Nonvenomous: How to Tell the DifferenceThe folk rules for telling venomous snakes apart, where each one fails, and why location-based identification beats guessing by sight.
- What Is a Snake? Anatomy and the BasicsA clear overview of what makes a snake a snake: limbless body plan, anatomy, evolution from lizards, species diversity, and why they are ectothermic.
- How to Keep Snakes Out of Your Yard and HomeA practical guide to keeping snakes out of your yard and home using habitat changes that work, plus what to skip and what to do if one shows up.
Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Background: Wikipedia. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.