Dog Faced Water Snake

One of the well known watersnake is the dog-faced water snake, a common inhabitant of muddy estuarine creeks, salt pans and brackish ponds and rivers near the sea. It is grey with black marking on the back, and two stripes running behind each eye. It is a rough, dull snake, one of the six species of "rear fanged" swamp snakes in India.


A typical "dog-faced" habitat is near our home where we sometimes go fishing at night. It is brackish tidal creek. At night in flashlight the mud seems to be alive with grey bodies. We have watched "dog-faces" catch and swallow spiny fish and perform elaborate territorial dance in pale moonlight. On land this snake is one of the "side winders". In rapid movement, it does a kind of sideways leap. All brackish watersnakes give birth to about 10 to 30 young at a time.


During the rains when friends tell you that they have seen large number of snakes crossing the road, these are invariably watersnakes. When we are called to catch a snake in somebody’s house it is usually a water snake. And when someone boasts about having killed a venomous snake, it is very often a harmless watersnake. Watersnakes are killed in lakhs for the skin industry once rat snakes and cobra became hard to find.

Sand Boas

Sand Boas are related to the well-known boa constrictor of South America. They are also closely related to the python. All these non-venomous snakes kill their prey by squeezing them in their muscular coils. There are two species of sand boas in India. Both are stocky, thick-bodied snakes, especially suited for underground activities but the common sand boa has a blotched pattern of spots and wavy bands and a very rough, keeled, dull body while the red sand boa is very different: it is reddish brown, smooth and glossy. However, the greatest dissimilarity is in the tail. The red sand boa (which is black in north-west India) has a tail so blunt that it looks as though it has been chopped off. In temperament too they do not resemble each other. The common sand boa is easily irritated and is quick to strike and bite, while the red sand boa has great patience and will never bite. This makes it an ideal snake for a child to be introduced to. Sand boas mostly eat rodents, which makes them another friend of the farmer. We have watched a tiny new-born sand boa catch and kill a little mouse with as much confidence and skill as a giant python might display in catching a wild boar for dinner. Sand boas have live young, usually 6 to 8, and newly hatched boas eat small mice, lizards, birds and insects. Recently, our son heard some birds squawking in alarm and ran out to find a babbler tightly held in the coils of a sand boa which had obviously been lying in wait for an unwary bird to hop by.

Keelback and Olive Keelback

Most of the 20 or more kinds of watersnakes in India are "keelbacks"-which means that each scale has a tiny fold in it. The most common freshwater snakes are the checkered keelback and the olive
keelback. Both are widely found in India but are mostly snakes of the plains and lower hills. The checkered keelback varies in color from back to yellow, with a back-and –white checked pattern. It has black straks on the eye and a long head. It is active both during day and at night. We have seen them flatten their heads and rear up like cobras when frightened. A freshly caught checkered keelback is a real biter. The female lays her 20 to 40 eggs in a hole or tunnel, and stays with them until hatching time.

The olive keelback has a thinner head than its checkered cousin, and its body is dark green. It is a cool-headed snake which almost never bites (unless you are a tadpole or frog!). one of the most interesting thing we know about olive keelback is that it eats mosquito larvae; another friendly service that snakes of free of cost!

Rat Snake

Rat snakes are large, fast moving snakes which grow to a length of 2 ½ metres. Their size and color are similar to the cobras. Rat snakes are found wherever rats are prevalent. So, of course, they are often found in rice fields. As hill forests are cleared and agriculture spreads to the slopes, rat snakes too are spreading "upwards". We recently saw one 2,000 metres up in palnis. Formerly they were rarely seen above 1,000 metres.

The rat snake is active during the day, hunting for rodents, frogs and birds along fields and in bushes. Large rat snakes can give a painful bite and are quick to  defend themselves. We have heard them growl throatily, like the king cobra, when first caught. The color varies from jet black all the way to yellowish or brown. The female lays about 8 to 16 eggs and the young start their diet on frogs. During the breeding season, male rat snakes perform a combat dance. This is actually their way of protecting the area they live in and preventing other male snakes from coming into their territory.


Many other snakes also perform this wrestling match in which the contestants don’t get hurt. But it is always between males and has nothing to do with mating, as people claim. Because rat snakes are the most frequently seen large Indian snakes, myths and stories about them are common.

Burrowing Snakes

Burrowing snakes live underground. Of course, there are also other snakes that go underground to escape the heat of the sun and to hide from predators. But burrower’s are the only ones that can dig their own holes. The other has to depend on the holes made by crabs, rats and termites. The  burrowing snake’s skull is as powerful as the point of a crowbar. Its stocky body and strong neck muscles make it easy for the snake to bulldoze its  way through soft soil. The species from the hills are so dependent on remaining cool that they often die in a human hand (Which usually has a temperature of about 37º C).

There are three groups of burrowing snakes in India: the small worm snakes (often mistaken for worms), the sheildtails or uropeltids, and the sand boas.

Land Sankes

Many different kinds of large land snake are found in the plains of India. The rat snake or dhaman is one of these, as is the famous python. Others like the trinket and the royal snakes are common, but we don’t see them as often. There are also a number of smaller land snakes, which are widespread like the kukri,  the wolf snake and the racer.

Sheild tails

while looking for snakes in the hills of southern India we often come across these small stubby snakes. Their scales are smooth and glossy. It is interesting that shieldtails have very colorful bellies, while the back is usually a dull color. This combination helps the snake greatly in its survival against predators. The back is an effective camouflage, while the bright color of the belly mislead snake-eaters into thinking it is distasteful. Shieldtails have a special shiny iridescence, which prevents dirt and mud from sticking to their bodies. There are over 40 of these remarkable snakes in the hill of south and central India. They have living young, generally 3 to 5, and feed on earthworms and larvae.



Each hill range has at least one distinct species, which has evolved completely separately from its cousins. These snakes are therefore of great interest to scientists studying the evolution of animals. Each group develops its special characteristics so that it can survive in its specific environment. Just as the giraffe developed a long neck in order to eat the leaves that the other grazing animals of Africa could not reach, each species of sheildtail has developed its own specialties to help it feed and escape from predators.


Shieldtails are forest snakes and the cutting down of thousands of acres of trees every year has made them rare in many areas. When large forest trees are cut down, the soil and air underneath heat up immediately, killing all the small animals and plants that can only live in cool, shady  laces.

Worm Snakes

There are 14 species of worm snakes, all of which belong to the genus Typhlina. It is easy to mistake most of them for worms, until you see the shiny eyesand minute shiny scales. The commonest one is reddish brown and found throughout India. Scientists were startled to find that they could locate males in this genus and discovered that worm snakes are "parthenogenic". That is, a female can fertilize her own 5 to 8 eggs without the help of a male.


Worm snakes are found in moist, wet earth or under leaves. They feed on worms and maggots, which they hunt underground. When handled, like burrowers, these snakes poke with their tails in defence. This gives people the idea that they are stinging with their tails-which of course no snake is capable of doing.

Sheildtails

while looking for snakes in the hills of southern India we often come across these small stubby snakes. Their scales are smooth and glossy. It is interesting that shieldtails have very colorful bellies, while the back is usually a dull color. This combination helps the snake greatly in its survival against predators. The back is an effective camouflage, while the bright color of the belly mislead snake-eaters into thinking it is distasteful. Shieldtails have a special shiny iridescence, which prevents dirt and mud from sticking to their bodies. 

There are over 40 of these remarkable snakes in the hill of south and central India. They have living young, generally 3 to 5, and feed on earthworms and larvae.


Each hill range has at least one distinct species, which has evolved completely separately from its cousins. These snakes are therefore of great interest to scientists studying the evolution of animals. Each group develops its special characteristics so that it can survive in its specific environment. Just as the giraffe developed a long neck in order to eat the leaves that the other grazing animals of Africa could not reach, each species of sheildtail has developed its own specialties to help it feed and escape from predators.

Shieldtails are forest snakes and the cutting down of thousands of acres of trees every year has made them rare in many areas. When large forest trees are cut down, the soil and air underneath heat up immediately, killing all the small animals and plants that can only live in cool, shady places.

Python

Pythons are among the largest snakes in the world. They grow to 8 or 9 metros in length and have enough muscle power to overcome and swallow a full-grown leopard. The two species of python found in India are the Indian rock python, which lives in both scrub forest and dense jungle throughout the country, and the regal python, which is found in north-east India and Nicobar islands. The one there is possibility of your seeing is the rock python although the snakeskin industry has all but wiped it out in many areas.

Rock pythons grow to 6 metres in length and are heavy bodied, smooth snakes with a brown blotchy pattern much like that of the common sand boa. An interesting feature of pythons is that they have "spurs". Snakes have evolved from lizard-like reptiles with legs, and the python and boas are the only snakes which has not completely lost their legs. They live in cool, damp caves, tree stumps and hollows. They hunt at night for small mammals and other prey. They can go for days without eating, but must have water. One specimen in a zoo didn’t eat for two years.


Female rock pythons lay up to 100 eggs between March and June and stay with them for the 80 days till they hatch. When herpetologists (those who study snakes) first discovered that pythons stay with their eggs, they thought that the snake was safeguarding the eggs from predators like the mongoose and the wild pig. We know that the mother python also keeps the eggs free from fungus, maintains them at the right dampness, and protects them from ants. But most wonderful of all, she can control the temperature at which they are incubating. She can raise her own body temperature by jerking her muscles. The faster she jerks the warmer she gets, thus warming up the eggs.

Discoveries like this are constantly being made about snakes, because there is still a lot to be learnt about these fascinating creatures. Studying snakes isthus not only interesting but there is also great scope for making newdiscoveries in the field.

Rat Snake

Rat snakes are large, fast moving snakes which grow to a length of 2 ½ metres. Their size and color are similar to the cobras. Rat snakes are found wherever rats are prevalent. So, of course, they are often found in rice fields. As hill forests are cleared and agriculture spreads to the slopes, rat snakes too are spreading "upwards". We recently saw one 2,000 metres up in palnis. Formerly they were rarely seen above 1,000 metres.


The rat snake is active during the day, hunting for
rodents, frogs and birds along fields and in bushes. Large rat snakes can give a painful bite and are quick to defend themselves. We have heard them growl throatily, like the king cobra, when first caught. The color varies from jet black all the way to yellowish or brown. The female lays about 8 to 16 eggs and the young start their diet on frogs.

During the breeding season, male rat snakes perform a combat dance. This is actually their way of protecting the area they live in and preventing other male snakes from coming into their territory.

Many other snakes also perform this wrestling match in which the contestants don’t get hurt. But it is always between males and has nothing to do with mating, as people claim. Because rat snakes are the most frequently seen large Indian snakes, myths and stories about them are common.

Land Sankes

Many different kinds of large land snake are found in the plains of India. The rat snake or dhaman is one of these, as is the famous python. Others like the trinket and the royal snakes are common, but we don’t see them as often. There are also a number of smaller land snakes, which are widespread like the kukri, the wolf snake and the racer.

Sand Boas

Sand Boas are related to the well-known boa constrictor of South America. They are also closely related to the python. All these non-venomous snakes kill their prey by squeezing them in their muscular coils. There are two species of sand boas in India. Both are stocky, thick-bodied snakes, especially suited for underground activities but the common sand boa has a blotched pattern of spots and wavy bands and a very rough, keeled, dull body while the red sand boa is very different: it is reddish brown, smooth and glossy. However, the greatest dissimilarity is in the tail. The red sand boa (which is black in north-west India) has a tail so blunt that it looks as though it has been chopped off. In temperament too they do not resemble each other.

The common sand boa is easily irritated and is quick to strike and bite, while the red sand boa has great patience and will never bite. This makes it an ideal snake for a child to be introduced to. Sand boas mostly eat rodents, which makes them another friend of the farmer. We have watched a tiny new-born sand boa catch and kill a little mouse with as much confidence and skill as a giant python might display in catching a wild boar for dinner. Sand boas have live young, usually 6 to 8, and newly hatched boas eat small mice, lizards, birds and insects. Recently, our son heard some birds squawking in alarm and ran out to find a babbler tightly held in the coils of a sand boa which had obviously been lying in wait for an unwary bird to hop by.

Worm Snakes

There are 14 species of worm snakes, all of which belong to the genus Typhlina. It is easy to mistake most of them for worms, until you see the shiny eyes and minute shiny scales. The commonest one is reddish brown and found throughout India. Scientists were startled to find that they could locate males in this genus and discovered that worm snakes are "parthenogenic". That is, a female can fertilize her own 5 to 8 eggs without the help of a male.


Worm snakes are found in moist, wet earth or under leaves. They feed on worms and maggots, which they hunt underground. When handled, like burrowers, these snakes poke with their tails in defence. This gives people the idea that they are stinging with their tails-which of course no snake is capable of doing.

Burrowing Snakes

Burrowing snakes live underground. Of course, there are also other snakes that go underground to escape the heat of the sun and to hide from predators. But burrower’s are the only ones that can dig their own holes. The other has to depend on the holes made by crabs, rats and termites. The burrowing snake’s skull is as powerful as the point of a crowbar. Its stocky body and strong neck muscles make it easy for the snake to bulldoze its way through soft soil. The species from the hills are so dependent on remaining cool that they often die in a human hand (Which usually has a temperature of about 37º C).

There are three groups of burrowing snakes in India: the small worm snakes (often mistaken for worms), the sheildtails or uropeltids, and the sand boas.

Keelback and Olive Keelback

Most of the 20 or more kinds of watersnakes in India are
"keelbacks"-which means that each scale has a tiny fold in it. The most common freshwater snakes are the checkered keelback and the olive keel back. Both are widely found in India but are mostly snakes of the plains and lower hills. The checkered keelback varies in color from back to yellow, with a back-and –white checked pattern. It has black straks on the eye and a long head. It is active both during day and at night. We have seen them flatten their heads and rear up like cobras when frightened. A freshly caught checkered keelback is a real biter. 

The female lays her 20 to 40 eggs in a hole or tunnel, and stays with them until hatching time.

The olive keelback has a thinner head than its checkered cousin, and its body is dark green. It is a cool-headed snake which almost never bites (unless you are a tadpole or frog!). one of the most interesting thing we know about olive keelback is that it eats mosquito larvae; another friendly service that snakes of free of cost!