Oligodon octolineatus Striped Kukri Snake
Also known as:
Eight-lined Kukri Snake, Eight-striped Kukri Snake, Grace’s Kukri Snake
Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, MalaysiaMarch 7, 2018
In Danum Valley, I stayed at the unbelievably luxurious Borneo Rainforest Lodge. When I arrived, my room wasn't yet ready, so I had an hour or so to kill before lunch. I grabbed my camera and wandered off down the nearest trail. Soon I found an area with some scattered logs, and turned the first one to find a beautiful little snake coiled beneath. This was going to be a great place to stay, with a snake under every log!

I recognized the snake as an Oligodon, and it quickly started squirming down into the wet leaf litter. Oh no, I needed pictures of this gorgeous serpent! I grabbed it and carried it a few feet away to some hard-packed bare ground where I encouraged it to slither under a large leaf. While it was under the leaf, I put together my previously-unassembled camera. As you have by now guessed, removing the leaf revealed no sign of the snake. I never saw another of this species, and I never found another snake under a log for the rest of my stay.

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