Material Examined : 27 specimens, including 21 adults and 6 juveniles.

Description & Scalation : Stout-bodied. Head broder than neck. Eye with round pupil. Nostrils directed slightly upwards; internasals much narrowed anteriorly, shorter than the prefrontals; 1 preocular; 3 postoculars; temporals 2+2 or 2+3; 1 loreal as long as high. Scales feebly or strongly keeled posteriorly, in 19:19(18):17 rows, 1 or 2 outer rows smooth; supralabials 9 ( 4th and 5th in cotact with the eye, the 6th excluded by the lowest postocular ); 9-10 infralabials, first 3 or 4 touching the first pair of genials. Ventrals 135-152; subcaudals 48-91, paired; anal divided.

Description : Two black oblique streaks, one below the eye another behind the eye. Head olive brown; lip scales creamish or yellowish; cream or white underside. Variable color forms, 5 commonly seen color forms are:

1. Dark brown above, with 4 or 5 black longitidunal stripes, which extend the whole body, tail with small black spots.
2. Cream above, with unequal bold black spots on both sides of the body and tail.
3. Cream above, with 4 black or brown longitidunal vertebral stripes; black unequal spots on the both sides of the body which create a broad black line posteriorly; unequal reddish or brown line on belly.
4. Dark brown above, with 4 black vertebral stripes up to mid body, hind body with small black spots laterally.
5. Black above, with 2 thin whitish parallal lines up to mid body, hind body and tail with bold black spots on both sides.

Natural History : Mostly nocturnal, also diurnal in its habits. Aggressive in its movements, bites fiercely when handled. Found around freshwater bodies, slow moving streams, paddy fields, very common snake on the Islands, mostly active during the rains. Mainly feeds on frogs, toads and fish. If cornered, flattens the body, extends neck ribs, and springs at the approaching person. Lays about 10-30 eggs, female usually stays with them during incubation. Grows upto 1.00m.

Distribution - India : Endemic to Andaman and possibly Nicobar Islands.

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