image credit: cowyeow
image credit: crotalinae.tumblr.com
image credit: thetegu.com
image credit: web.gxmu.edu.cn
image credit: animalpicturesarchive.com
Habitat: East and Southeast Asia
Status: No Conservation Concerns 

I love this tiger-look-alike snake, the Tiger Keelback (Rhabdophis tigrina). Instead of using sharp claws and big fangs to defend itself, though, the Tiger Keelback steals toxins from the poisonous frogs it eats and secretes them from glands around its neck. 

This is a classic example of “you are what you eat,” I guess. In this case Tiger Keelbacks are poisonous toad munchers. 

Even though it IS venomous, few deaths have been ever been recorded. This hesitancy to strike at a predator might be because the snake’s fangs are located in the back of its mouth, so a successful strike on a large object might be a bit difficult to achieve.

View a video of the snake devouring one such toad after the jump!