Painted Mock Viper

Keelbacks & Mock Vipers

Psammodynastes pictus

Basic stats

Venom

Mildly venomous (rear-fanged, not dangerous to humans)

Diet

Lizards, frogs

Habitat

Forest floor and low vegetation

Range

Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia

Clutch size

4–8 eggs (typical for mock vipers)

Incubation period

About 60–80 days (typical for mock vipers)

Size

Small-medium (up to 60cm)

Weight

~40–80g

A harmless snake with a distinctly triangular, viper-like head shape — a case of mimicry that likely deters predators by resembling a genuinely dangerous pit viper, despite being entirely non-venomous to any degree of medical concern.

Found on the forest floor and in low vegetation, feeding on lizards and frogs, nocturnal to crepuscular.

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