# Common krait (*Bungarus caeruleus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-krait  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), also called the Indian krait, is a snake in the family Elapidae, within the reptile order Squamata. It falls in the medium size class, with a representative adult body mass of 1.154 kg. Its lifespan is given as 13.95 years, with the highest value reported by our sources at 17.4 years. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.15 kg |
| Length | 91 cm – 1.22 m |
| Lifespan | 14 years – 17.4 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland, human_modified |
| Egg incubation | 56.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8 |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Elapidae
- genus: Bungarus
- species: *Bungarus caeruleus* (Schneider, 1801)

Synonyms: *Boa latotecta*, *Boa latotecta*, *Boa lineata*, *Bungarus arcuatus*, *Bungarus candidus*, *Bungarus candidus var. caeruleus*, *Bungarus romulusi*, *Bungarus sindanus*, *Pseudoboa caerulea*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common krait?

The common krait is a snake, a reptile in the family Elapidae and the suborder Serpentes.

### How heavy is the common krait?

Our sources give a representative adult body mass of 1.154 kg, placing it in the medium size class.

### How long does the common krait live?

Its lifespan is given as 13.95 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 17.4 years.

### Is the common krait endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### Who named the common krait?

The scientific name Bungarus caeruleus is credited to (Schneider, 1801).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common krait (Bungarus caeruleus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-krait