The Land Snakes of the Santubong Peninsula, Sarawak, Borneo: A Preliminary List of Species with Natural History Notes

Abstract

The authors carried out a survey of the land snakes inhabiting the Santubong Peninsula, a proposed National Park in Sarawak, Borneo. Twenty four species, representing six families, were recorded. For several species, behavioral data are provided that extend the current knowledge about those species. A total of 34 species is now known to inhabit the Santubong Peninsula and the species accumulation curve already appears to approach its asymptote. Roughly 120 species are known to occur in lowland and submontane regions of Borneo. As such, the Santubong Peninsula appears to harbor a limited selection of Bornean species. In addition, a comparison of the snake fauna of the Santubong Peninsula with that of the Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, shows a very low similarity. This is certainly in part due to insufficient sampling of the respective areas. However, these results do indicate regional differences in snake communities. Finally, the significance for conservation efforts is pointed out.