Despite lacking venom, the Water Snake (also known as the Tiger Snake or Dotted Snake) has a very aggressive nature, leading to frequent encounters with humans that often result in their death. The Water Snake is highly skilled at catching mice, making it a beneficial species.
The Tiger Snake (scientific name: Coelognathus radiata) is a species of snake in the water snake family, distributed from India and Bangladesh to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
The Tiger Snake is easily recognizable due to its body patterns. (Photo: R.A).
In Vietnam, this species is widely distributed across the country, commonly found in lowland and midland areas, particularly in regions with abundant vegetation, bushes, or abandoned rat holes. The Tiger Snake is also an adept climber, often encountered in bushes or even on rooftops.
Adult Tiger Snakes can grow up to 2 meters long and are terrestrial. This species is easily identifiable: from the snake’s eyes, three small black stripes extend, with two running diagonally down to the upper lip and one across the temple. The body features four black stripes running from the nape down over half of the body, with the two central stripes being broad and continuous, and the two side stripes smaller and intermittent.
The Tiger Snake raises one-third of its body to threaten enemies. (Photo: Wild Forest).
Although it is non-venomous, the Tiger Snake is aggressive and will attack its opponent when it feels threatened. When in danger, the Tiger Snake will elevate one-third of its body off the ground, open its mouth wide, and attempt to inflate its neck skin while ready to strike.
The Tiger Snake often maintains a posture with its head raised, mouth open wide to intimidate threats while moving, leading many to mistakenly believe it belongs to the venomous cobra family. However, in reality, this species is completely non-venomous.
A bite from a Tiger Snake can cause bleeding. If bitten, individuals should thoroughly disinfect the wound to avoid infection. Victims can manage treatment at home without needing medical facilities.
Due to their wide distribution, Tiger Snakes frequently encounter humans. Their aggressive nature often leads them to threaten humans before fleeing, resulting in many being killed during such encounters.
The Tiger Snake’s diet includes lizards, frogs, and sometimes fish and young birds, but its primary food source is mice. This snake is highly efficient at hunting mice, making it a beneficial animal for agriculture.
An aggressive yet cowardly snake that feigns death to escape threats
Despite its aggressive nature and propensity to threaten foes, the Tiger Snake is, in fact, quite cowardly.
In cases where its threatening behavior fails and it cannot deter an enemy, the Tiger Snake performs a masterful “play dead” act. The snake will lie on its back, motionless as if it has died. Regardless of external stimuli, the Tiger Snake remains still without any response.
Many predatory animals do not typically consume dead prey, so the Tiger Snake’s act of feigning death may help it evade dangerous predators, including humans. After lying still for a while and sensing that the threat has passed, the snake will flip back over and quickly escape from the predator.
