About Hypsiscopus plumbea (Boie, 1827)
Hypsiscopus plumbea, commonly called the rice paddy snake, is a relatively small species. Different sources report varying maximum sizes, with the largest recorded total length including the tail reaching up to 72 cm (28 in). This snake feeds readily on small fish and frogs, and will occasionally eat small lizards. It has countershading coloration: its dorsal body is dark brown to grey, while its ventral body is pale, ranging from white to yellowish. In some populations, the upper body can have a greenish tint, and dark spots may be present along the vertebral line. The species is primarily nocturnal. The rice paddy snake can be found in the Andaman Islands of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, southern China, and Taiwan. It is a common, abundant species that lives in a wide range of wet habitats.
