Sunbeam Snake

 

Juvenile Sunbeam Snake

    

    The Sunbeam Snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) is a non-venomous, fossorial species of snake in the monotypic family Xenopeltidae. It is characterized by smooth, iridescent scales that produce a rainbow-like sheen in sunlight. The eyes are small, and the head is wedge-shaped and flattened, which helps it penetrate the leaf litter easily during burrowing activities. Adults typically reach lengths of around 1 meter, with dorsal coloration ranging from blackish brown to chocolate brown and a paler, often cream or white underside. Juveniles exhibit a temporary lighter-colored collar around the neck.

Sunbeam Snake

    

    This species is found in Southeast Asia and some regions of Indonesia. In Palawan, it inhabits a variety of environments, like coastal and lowland forests, coconut plantations, grasslands, rice fields and other agricultural areas, as well as gardens and patches of thick vegetation adjacent to residential houses. It is often seen crossing the roads at night in suburban areas, and it's one of the most often encountered snakes in the rice fields at night. This species seems to be absent in the high-elevation forests, like the upper montane forest and mossy forest of Palawan.

Sunbeam Snake

    

    The Xenopeltis unicolor exhibits a nocturnal circadian rhythm, emerging from burrows at dusk to forage and retreating underground during the day to avoid heat and predators. This fossorial lifestyle confines most of its activity to nighttime hours, with sightings typically occurring at night as individuals move through vegetation or across roadways under cover of darkness. It primarily preys on small vertebrates, including amphibians such as frogs, small reptiles like lizards, other snakes, and small mammals like mice. It is also known to occasionally consume opportunistic species such as ground-nesting birds in the wild.