Snake charming charmers may also use Russell's vipers. Indian and Burmese pythons, and even mangrove snakes are also encountered, though they are not as popular. In North Africa, the Egyptian cobra, puff adder, carpet viper and horned desert viper are commonly featured in performances. Except for the pythons and mangrove snakes, all of these species are highly venomous. At home, snake charmers keep their animals in containers such as baskets, boxes, pots, or sacks. For safety, some North African snake charmers stitch closed the mouth of their performing snakes, leaving just enough opening for the animal to be able to move its
Banded krait was long, but normally the length encountered is . The snake has an entire anal plate and single subcaudals. The tail is small, about one-tenth the length of the snake. The scientific name of the genus is derived from the Telugu word "bangarum" meaning "gold", referring to the yellow rings around its body. The banded krait occurs in the whole of the Indo-Chinese subregion, the Malay peninsula and Indonesian archipelago, and southern China. The species is common in Mizoram, Assam and Tripura of India and Bangladesh, but becomes progressively uncommon westwards in India. It has been recorded eastwards from central