Beauty Rat Snake striped (Elaphe taeniura)

The Beauty Rat Snake (Elaphe taeniura), also known as the cave racer, is a non-venomous colubrid native to East and Southeast Asia. This slender, semi-arboreal snake is recognized for its striking appearance, featuring a yellow to beige background that darkens toward the tail, adorned with a white to cream mid-dorsal stripe starting midway down the body and extending to the tail’s tip. Both sides of the head are marked just behind the eye with a black stripe surrounded by blue. The species is diurnal and arboreal, feeding primarily on lizards, frogs, and small birds. Although rear-fanged and mildly venomous, it poses little threat to humans. Its vivid appearance and agile nature make it a fascinating, though specialized, species in the world of herpetology.