KRAIT

(Bungarus), any of 12 species of highly venomous snakes belonging to the cobra family, Elapidae. Kraits occur in open country of southern Asia. They have shining scales and are strongly patterned, typically with black-and-white or black-and-yellow bands. They are mostly nocturnal; their usual prey is other snakes. The common, or blue, krait (Bungarus caeruleus) of Pakistan, India, and China may be almost 1.5 metres (5 feet) long. Although it comes near houses, it rarely bites humans; of those it does bite, however, about half die, despite antivenin treatment. The banded krait, or pama (B. fasciatus), of Indochina may be slightly larger; it is so docile that it is considered quite harmless, and few bites have been reported.