Colubridae
Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake
HarmlessBoiga stoliczkae
3 photographs of the Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake. (c) Amaël Borzée, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake (Boiga stoliczkae) is a rear-fanged, mildly venomous snake in the Colubridae family, recorded in 5 countries.
- Family
- Colubridae
About the Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake
The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake belongs to the Colubridae family, colubrids. The largest snake family, and the one most snakes you meet belong to.
Colubridae is by far the biggest family of snakes, with roughly two thousand species worldwide. It is a catch-all of mostly slender, agile, day-active snakes: ratsnakes, kingsnakes, gartersnakes, watersnakes, racers, whipsnakes, and hundreds more. The vast majority are harmless to people and kill prey by grabbing or constricting rather than with venom.
Its genus, Boiga, covers cat snakes. Cat snakes are slender, big-eyed, rear-fanged colubrids of the Old World tropics, named for the vertical, cat-like pupils that mark them as night hunters.
The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake is rear-fanged and only mildly venomous. It is not considered dangerous to people, but like any wild snake it is best observed from a distance and left undisturbed.
It has been recorded in Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, India and China.
Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.
Frequently asked: Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake
- Is the Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake venomous?
- The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake (Boiga stoliczkae) is rear-fanged and only mildly venomous. It is not considered dangerous to humans (its venom is weak and its fangs sit at the back of the mouth) but a bite can cause local swelling or irritation, so it should not be handled.
- Is the Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake poisonous?
- Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
- Is the Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake dangerous?
- The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
- Where does the Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake live?
- The Stoliczka's Asian Cat Snake has verified records in 5 countries, including Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan. See the distribution section below for its full range.
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
- Boiga
- SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name
- Boiga stoliczkae
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. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.