On Orchid Island, off the coast of Taiwan, green turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. A single female can deposit around a hundred eggs, and the island’s beaches are littered with these clutches. These nests are such a rich source of food that they are worth defending. And that’s exactly what the Taiwanese kukrisnake does. The females treat turtle nests like their own private larder. They guard them, and aggressively ward off rivals with a false head and dagger-like teeth.

Kukrisnakes are named for a special set of teeth. These are shaped like kukris, the curved knives that are the signature weapon of the Nepalese gurkhas. The gurkhas, renowned as brave and fierce warriors, use their kukris to