5 of Singapore’s most venomous snakes & their unique features
In Singapore’s vibrant ecosystem, filled with beautiful birds and charming otters, venomous snakes are no doubt the most feared wildlife.
It seems natural to be afraid of these animals, who we think of as capable of killing in a single bite.
Among the island nation’s 75 species of land snakes, only seven of them are considered particularly venomous to humans.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
This list details five of them, and is in no particular order.
MS News spoke to Dr Francis Seow-Choen, a colorectal surgeon and expert in Singapore’s wildlife, to learn more about these serpents.
1. Sunda King Cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus)
It is a no-brainer to begin the list with our most famous snake — the king cobra.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
“There is no doubt that the king cobra is Singapore’s most venomous snake,” Dr Seow-Choen said, pointing at its volume of venom and size.
With a maximum length of 5.85 metres, this species also takes the crown for the largest local venomous snake.
True to its genus name of Ophiophagus, which means ‘snake eater’, the king cobra primarily hunts snakes and other reptiles.
Local wildlife Facebook groups often capture footage of them preying on large pythons or even their own kind.
Source: Alfred Beh, via Dr Seow-Choen
“The very best place to find king cobras is Sungei Buloh and the area around it, Lim Chu Kang,” said Dr Seow-Choen.
He further explained that he knew people who used to rear animals in farms at Lim Chu Kang, which attracted hungry snakes.
This, in turn, drew in king cobras.
Dr Seow-Choen recalled an encounter years ago outside Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, where he and his friends stumbled upon a huge king cobra cruising along on the roadside.
One of his friends stepped closer to take a photo, making it rear up in defence.
“She was happily taking photos, when a stray dog came out and started barking and attacking the snake,” he said.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
The two animals fought briefly before they settled on a mutual retreat and fled in opposite directions.
Dr Seow-Choen said that snakes tended to end up the losers in fights against mammals like mongooses and dogs.
“It’s not in the behaviour of snakes to kill everything,” he noted, adding that snakes try to conserve the venom they have, which limits their aggression.
Luckily for the people in Singapore, they are unlikely to stumble across a king cobra around their estates or urban areas.
“The king cobra is not found everywhere in Singapore because it is too big and people kill it,” said Dr Seow-Choen, explaining why they were limited to areas with fewer people.
2. Sumatran Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana)
Unlike the king cobra, however, the spitting cobra is “the most common because it is small, and it likes to eat rats”.
They possess a much shorter maximum length of 148 centimetres.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
Also known as the Equatorial spitting cobra, it is frequently stumbled upon in the fringes of estates, especially around parks or wooded areas.
The Sumatran spitting cobra is unique in its ability to spit venom from range, although Dr Seow-Choen found the fear of this ability overstated.
He pointed to cobras from Africa and India as the kinds that can spit venomous streams both accurately and far, up to 2.2 metres.
However, the Sumatran spitting cobra falls short of its foreign compatriots in terms of accuracy.
“It’s more like a spray,” Dr Seow-Choen chuckled, adding that from personal experience, its stream usually only reaches a metre high.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
The venomous spit also has little effect on unbroken skin, generally just requiring a thorough wash of the affected area.
While a bite from a Sumatran spitting cobra can be lethal to humans, they rarely strike unless directly disturbed.
Dr Seow-Choen pointed to an incident on 29 June in Windsor Nature Park, where a spitting cobra coiled around a tree and made warning displays at unsuspecting joggers.
Source: Joanne Toh on Facebook
After around 20 minutes, the snake left by itself without biting or spitting at anyone.
3. Malayan Blue Coral Snake (Calliophis bivirgatus flaviceps)
The blue coral snake is perhaps the most beautiful and most misunderstood of Singapore’s venomous snakes.
These snake-eaters are known for their striking colouration, with dark blue on top, an orange underbelly, and bright blue between the two.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
They’re also greatly feared for their supposedly lethal venom, reported as such even by this very news site years ago.
However, Dr Seow-Choen told MS News that he knew of six or seven people who had been bitten by blue coral snakes while trying to catch them.
“They had very severe pain for about half a day [and] swelling, but nothing happened to them. They didn’t have necrosis or any other issue,” he revealed.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
Dr Seow-Choen wrote that their venom was “only very rarely lethal” to humans, although he pointed out that volunteers were not exactly lining up to stress-test this theory.
While the snake is shy and avoids confrontation, Dr Seow-Choen warned that it would readily strike if grabbed.
“Once you catch the fellow, it will bite the tree, bite the grass, bite the rock, bite the floor, bite everything,” he described.
For sighting the snake locally, he recommended going to MacRitchie Reservoir, Thomson Nature Park, and Windsor Nature Park in the early morning.
“If you go three or four times, you will definitely be able to see one at least. They’re quite large snakes,” said Dr Seow-Choen.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
4. Banded Malayan Coral Snake (Calliophis intestinalis lineata)
The banded Malayan coral snake is the trickiest of Singapore’s venomous snakes to spot.
This elusiveness is attributed to its small size, at 50 centimetres maximum, as well as its tendency to hide under leaves and rocks.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
Additionally, they usually only emerge in the dark of night to hunt other snakes.
Dr Seow-Choen personally knew two people who were bitten by this snake in Singapore and experienced severe pain.
One of them stayed in a hospital overnight and recovered without any antivenom.
“The other guy just sat in the forest thinking about his life,” Dr Seow-Choen laughed.
“He thought he was going to die.”
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
Like the blue coral snake, the expert found that the severity of the banded coral snake’s venom has been exaggerated.
He said that snake venom is usually meant to be effective against prey like lizards and small mammals.
“Caution in the handling of this snake is, nevertheless, absolutely necessary,” he wrote.
5. Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus)
Walking in Lim Chu Kang, you might come across a snake that seems to have taken after Singapore’s black-and-white kerbs.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
The banded krait is the largest of the krait group, measuring up to 230 centimetres in length.
Dr Seow-Choen described them as “not uncommon” in Pulau Ubin and Lim Chu Kang, often seen crossing roads during downpours.
Black-and-yellow banded kraits predominate in Southeast Asia, but Singapore’s variants are all black-and-white.
Dr Seow-Choen considers the banded krait to be Singapore’s second most venomous snake, only behind the king cobra.
However, it seems their bite is worse than their bark, being the shyest of the snakes on this list.
When disturbed, banded kraits tuck their heads under their coils to hide, almost like a child hiding under the blankets.
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
Dr Seow-Choen stated that they are usually reluctant to fight and would rather try to flee.
Public should not disturb or catch snakes
The banded krait’s shy behaviour despite its lethal venom highlights one of Dr Seow-Choen’s main points — that snakes are not aggressive.
“Snakes have their own place in ecology. They’re not out there to kill you,” he said about what he considers an overstated fear among people.
“My advice to people is: leave snakes alone. The snakes are unlikely to attack you, and you’re unlikely to get bitten just because there’s a snake in the neighbourhood.”
Male Wagler’s pit viper
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
He warned the public not to try to catch or hit snakes they see, as direct provocation could cause a defensive response.
Instead, they should call experts such as NParks to relocate the reptiles safely.
Interactions between humans and venomous snakes will increase in Singapore
At the end of 2024, Dr Seow-Choen published ‘A Guide to Land Snakes of Singapore’, just in time to usher in the Year of the Snake.
The comprehensive guidebook serves as a way to both pique interest and clear up fearful misconceptions people have.
It includes all of Singapore’s land snakes, including two venomous snakes which did not make it on the list: the mangrove pit viper and the Wagler’s pit viper.
Mangrove pit viper ‘Blue’ at Pasir Ris Park
Image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen
Dr Seow-Choen told MS News that humans are gradually encroaching on their natural habitats with the city’s growth.
As such, the future will see an increasing number of interactions between humans and animals such as snakes.
“The more people are educated and the more people understand, the better it is not just for the people, but also for the wildlife,” the surgeon concluded.
Also read: Black spitting cobra spotted coiling on tree next to path, gives warning displays at Windsor Nature Park
Black spitting cobra spotted coiling on tree next to path, gives warning displays at Windsor Nature Park
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image courtesy of Dr Seow-Choen.
