Material Examined :

Description & Scalation : Body thick, heavy. Head distinct from neck; eye with vertically elliptic pupil. Scales smooth, in 66-80 rows; supralabials 12-13 ( first 4 pitted, 6th or 7th in contact with the eye ); subocular absent; ventrals 290-332; subcaudals 75-102, mostly paired; anal entire.

Coloration : Dark brown or Yellowish above, with a series of dark brown spots, each edged with black; yellowish below. A black streak along forehead and another on each side of head, from eye to angle of jaws.

Natural History : Largest non venomous snake found in India. Nocturnal and terrestrial species that likes water, also been observed in human habitations during the day in search of prey. Inhabits rain forests, plantations, edges of rivers and in and around human habitations. Constricts prey, mainly feeds on birds, pigs, chicken and water monitor lizards. Frequently enter human settlements in search of chicken and pigs and are often killed. Some among the Shompen tribes on Great Nicobar Island eat these snakes; Nicobarese people of Car Nicobar, Terrasa, Katchal and Kamorta Islands eat this snake and use its fat as a ointment to treat arthritis. Lays 50-124 eggs and guarded by female coiling around them until they hatch. Grows upto 9.8m.

Distribution - India : Nicobar group of Islands, recorded from following Islands – Great Nicobar, Kamorta, Nancowry, Katchal, Menchal, Trinkat, Bompoka, Tarasa, Tillanchong and Car Nicobar. One record of a single specimen being seen on Meroe, later surveys have not revealed further specimens on that Island; even local Nicobarese from Little Nicobar report that the specimen was the only one that they are aware of, not having spotted any themselves. It is assumed that the single specimen most likely arrived by drift. Likely to be found in Northeast India. Elsewhere : throught Southeast Asia.

External link : http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Broghammerus&species=reticulatus