Saw-Scaled Viper | Echis carinatus

Labels: Saw-scaled Vipers, Carpet Vipers, Phoorsa

Binomial name: Echis carinatus

Common name: Saw-Scaled Viper

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Subfamily:	Viperinae
Genus:	Echis
Species:	E. carinatus

Type: VENOMOUS

Distinguishing Features: Small; strongly keeled scales; head wider than neck; dull colour; cross mark on top of the head distinct.

Average Length: 30-50 cm; At Birth: 8 cm; Maximum: 8 cm.

Description: Saw-scaled Vipers are rough scaled snakes with large eyes, wider head than neck and stocky body. Their scales are deeply keeled. Their body colour is usually brown, greyish or sandy with a darker zigzag pattern on the back and a characteristic cross mark on the head. Their underside is white with brown speckles. Their tails are short and stubby. They are the smallest of the big four venomous snakes of India. They are less of a threat in South India because of their small size; however the Northern form grows large enough to be potentially dangerous member of the Big Four.

Distribution: They are found throughout India, mostly on plains. They are reported up to 2,000 m in the hills of North. They are found in plenty in some areas like Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, parts of Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh.

Habitat: They reside in the dry, sandy or rocky plains. They usually rest under rocks, behind barks, in thorny plants and other dry concealed places. Their favourite haunts include areas of laterite soil, boulders, and light scrub jungle with small hills and open dry tracts.

Habits: Mainly this viper is nocturnal and rarely makes a day-light appearance except possibly to bask in the sun after a cold, rainy night. This inconspicuous snake hides under rocks, bushes or in burrows during day time. They become very lively on humid or rainy nights and regular warm roads after dark. Saw-scaled Vipers get its English and Hindi names from the saw-edged keels of their lateral scales, which it rubs producing a ‘ssshhh’ sound which is similar to the hissing noise produced by other snakes during violent breathing.

Young: Female bears 4 to 8 living young between the months of April and August.

Food: They feed on lizards, mice, frogs, scorpions and few other arthropods.

Status: This species are plentiful throughout and are collected in large numbers in some areas like the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra for production of anti-venom at the Haffkine Institute.

Venom: Saw-scaled Vipers cause the largest number of venomous bites in the regions where they are very common. As this snake is fairly small, its bite is rarely fatal. Their venom is a strong blood coagulant, which after neutralizing the body’s clotting agent, causes a bleeding tendency similar to haemophilia. The bite can be treated by way such as anti-venom, transfusions, Vitamin K and calcium carbonate.

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Hook-Nosed Sea Snake | Enhydrina schistosa

Labels: Beaked sea-snake, Hook-nosed sea snake, Common sea snake, Valakadyn sea snake, Dariya samp, Samudhra samp

Binomial name: Enhydrina schistosa
Common name: Hook-Nosed Sea Snake

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Hydrophiidae
Genus:	Enhydrina
Species:	E. schistosa

Type: VENOMOUS

Distinguishing Features: Medium sized; rough, dull scales; body flattened, tail flat and paddle-shaped.

Average Length: 60 cm; At Birth: 15 cm; Maximum: 1.5 m.

Description: This Sea Snake is a quite short, stout snake with square nose and tip of the upper jaw protruding in a hook over the lower one, hence the name. Their overall colour is grey and there are dark round blotches on the back. Their scales are rather coarse and granular, unlike most of the snakes. The underside and bottom half of their body is white. Their tail is flat and paddle-like in appearance.

Distribution: Hook-Nosed Sea Snakes are found in the coast and coastal islands of India and are the commonest of the over 20 kinds of sea snakes found in Indian coastal waters.

Habitat: They are normally found in the deep sea but prefer coastal regions. Many a times they are accidentally captured in the inshore fishing nets.

Habits: In general not much is known about the sea snakes. Mostly, they seem to be active both during day and night. They rarely seem to rest, while continuously swimming around when awake. They can stay under-water for a maximum period of 5 hours and can dive to about 100 m. Like most of the sea snakes, this species rarely bite and there are hardly any incidences of death from their bites. Sea snakes are equipped with glands to discard excess salt from their body.

Young: All sea snakes bear 2-5 living young, except the Amphibious Sea Snake.

Food: Being sea snakes, their main item in food includes fish. Their highly toxic venom quickly paralyses the fast and slippery prey.

Status: Hook-Nosed Sea Snakes are common and not much exploited. In few countries Amphibious Sea Snake are slaughtered for their meat and some other species are hunted for their skins.

Venom: Their venom is rated four to eight times toxic as Cobra venom. Other sea snake venoms are almost equally lethal. Sea snakes do not have a highly proficient venom injection apparatus as the Vipers and Cobras do. Anti-venom for its bite is not available here, but is made in Japan and Australia.

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Slender Coral Snake | Calliophis melanurus

Labels: Indian Coral Snake, Coral Snake, Slender Coral Snake

Binomial name: Calliophis melanurus
Common name: Slender Coral Snake

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Calliophis
Species:	C. melanurus

Type: VENOMOUS

Distinguishing Features: Small, slender; smooth, shiny scales; blunt, black head; tail black, scarlet and blue.

Average Length: 25-35 cm; Diameter: 5 mm.

Description: Slender Coral Snakes are light brown and to some extent speckled. Their head and neck are black with two prominent yellow spots on top of the head. A shabby black ring is seen at their tail-base and tail-tip. The underside is consistent pinkish-red, bright scarlet at the vent and the underside of tail is bluish. Their heads are blunt and have the same width as the neck. Scales are smooth and faintly glossy. This Slender Coral Snake is one of the 5 Indian Coral Snakes, the other 4 being the hill forest species present in the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas.

Distribution: This species is distributed in most parts of India on the plains, except Central and North-western India.

Habitat: Mostly Slender Coral Snakes are seen in the coastal scrub jungles, under leaves, brick and rubble piles, and sandy patches.

Habits: They are mainly nocturnal snakes, but on rare occasions become active in the early morning hours in the cooler months. They are fine burrowers in sandy soil and can lay motion-less with just their head noticeable. In excitement, they will curl their tails up and wave it, exhibiting their startling underside colours, thus mocking attention from the head.

Young: Not much knowledge is gathered about the reproduction of this snake, except that all Indian Coral Snakes are egg-layers. Few North Indian species have been found laying 6-14 eggs.

Food: They seem to feed on worm snakes.

Status: This species is considered a rare one, as described in the literature. Also, Coral Snakes are forest species and hence their number is reducing due to the declining forest areas in our country.

Venom: Evidently, nothing is known about the venom of these little relatives of Cobra.

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