Food Spectrum of Common Kraits (Bungarus caeruleus): An Implication for Snakebite Prevention and Snake Conservation

Common Kraits, Bungarus caeruleus, cause thousands of fatalities annually in Asia. Here, we aimed to examine stomach contents of preserved kraits to determine their most favored prey animals that might attract them to residences where they bite sleeping people, even under mosquito nets. We examined freshly killed B. caeruleus and those preserved in collections maintained in hospitals and museums during July 2016 to October 2018 to identify contents of their stomachs and intestines. Among 61 examined B. caeruleus, three kraits consumed frogs, three consumed snakes, one consumed a bird, and five consumed rodents. This is the first comprehensive study of the food spectrum of B. caeruleus for Nepal and the third study worldwide. Unlike previous findings, we found the snakes mainly feeding on nonsnake prey animals. Most snakes having empty stomachs and a few specimens with freshly eaten prey animals indicated their entry into dwellings in search of prey animals was because of food stimuli. Findings of partly digested rodents, frogs, snakes, and avian prey (which are commonly found in houses in the lowlands of Nepal) further support food stimuli to be an important factor driving B. caeruleus to residential areas, where they often cause envenomation (69% of total specimens involved in snakebite, n = 42). Our findings can be extrapolated to understand the feeding ecology of B. caeruleus distributed in residential areas and to formulate effective prevention strategies against their bites. Implementing effective and practicable prevention strategies lessens the fear of snakes. This consequently minimizes unnecessary killing of snakes, which in turn contributes to biodiversity conservation.