SINGAPORE – A rare sighting of the venomous and poisonous blue-necked keelback snake at MacRitchie Reservoir on Aug 1 has created a stir online among nature lovers in Singapore, with the public advised to keep a safe distance from it.
In an image uploaded to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group by Facebook user Mat Chay on Aug 1, the reptile – scientifically known as Rhabdophis rhodomelas – can be seen with what appears to be two legs of an animal sticking out of its mouth.
The social media post drew comments from more than 120 Facebook accounts, with some speculating that the snake had ingested a frog and others advising people to keep a distance from the reptile.
The National Parks Board (NParks) said in a media reply on Aug 4 that it was aware of the sighting at MacRitchie Nature Trail, and confirmed that the snake is both poisonous and venomous.
Mr How Choon Beng, group director of wildlife management at NParks, said: “The blue-necked keelback snake can be found in mature secondary, primary, and swamp forests of the Central Nature Reserves and surrounding nature parks.”
Dr Alex Figueroa from the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature Secretariat at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, NUS, said the animal is usually found close to forest streams and mostly feeds on frogs.
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