Common Wolf Snake

About the Common Wolf Snake

Lycodon capucinus, also known as the common wolf snake, is a species of colubrid snake commonly found in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. The species is named after the enlarged front teeth which give them a muzzled appearance similar to canines and makes the snout somewhat more squarish than other snakes.

A slender-bodied small snake that ranges from barely three feet to less than one meter. Most wild-caught specimens usually reach less than these lengths. Coloration is adapted for life underground and on the forest floor. Shades of jet black, reddish-brown or dark gray with speckles, blotches and spots of white or pale yellow scattered over the body are its usual colors. There is also a distinct white coloration around its neck. Their color patterns vary from one geographic location to another. There are albino-colored ones which are very rare among this snake species. The snout is duck-bill-shaped for digging in soft or sandy ground, with enlarged front teeth. This species is relatively benign (not harmful) to humans.

The common wolf snake is found in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Laos, SE China, Hong Kong, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java... Wikipedia →