[3] It is native to Southeast Asia, where it occurs in the Malay Peninsula (Malaysia, Singapore), Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia), and in several Indonesian islands, including Sumatra, Java, Bali.

[1] The specific name, schlegeli, is in honor of German herpetologist Hermann Schlegel.

[2][4] The key identification characters for C. schlegeli are modified maxillary teeth and scale characteristics.

[5][6] This nonvenomous red-headed snake is sometimes confused with the venomous blue Malayan coral snake (Calliophis bivirgatus) and the red-headed krait (Bungarus flaviceps), in an example of Batesian mimicry where a non-venomous animal protects itself by appearing similar to a venomous one.

[1] It burrows for cover and feeds on small prey such as worms and insects.