Many-Banded Krait

Bungarus multicinctus.

(no Thai name for this species established yet)

The Many-Banded Krait is a strikingly coloured snake, with a high number of white bands across a bluish black body. Its possible occurence in northern Thailand is uncertain at the time of writing and is in need of more research to rule out possible misidentifaction with the Malayan or Blue Krait (B. candidus) which is extremely similar and a very abundant resident of Thailand.

The Many-Banded Krait is quite a lethal serpent and its neurotoxic venom can cause disastrous effects on humans. As Jamie James writes in his magnificent book The Snake Charmer (which covers the life and death of Joe Slowinski), American soldiers during the Vietnam war nicknamed it the "Two-Step Snake" - for it would take a bitten man only two steps before dropping dead. Although totally blown out of proportion, the name captures the venom's potence and the fear of being bitten by this creature.

For a very long time, the Many-Banded Krait was thought to be the culprit responsible for killig Joe Slowinski; however, more recent studies have determined that Slowinski was in fact bitten by the very recently described Suzhens Krait (B. suzhenae) who was named in honour of Bai Suzhen, the famous Lady White Snake from the Chinese classic of the same name.

Adding to the legends (and also mild confusion), the Many-Banded Krait and Suzhens Krait aren't the only kraits connected to Slowinskis legacy; Bungarus slowinskii, commonly known as The Red Rive Krait, was named in honour of Slowinski and is another resident of Thailand snakes.

Snakes Of Thailand