Indian Snakes (A Field Guide)

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Item Code: NAJ784
Author: Neelimkumar Khaire
Publisher: Jyotsna Prakashan
Language: English
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788179253892
Pages: 160 (Throughout Color Illustrations)
Cover: Paperback
Other Details 9.0 inch X 6.0 inch
Weight 320 gm
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description
Back of The Book

Aminent herpetologist Neelimkumar Khaire has been closely associated with the study and conservation of snakes for over four decades. He is the Director of the ‘Snake Park’ and ‘Rehabilitation Centre for Animals’, Pune.

He is also the founder of the ‘Indian Herpetolgical Society’.

This field guide features 68 species of snakes found in India. Along with colour photographs and informative text, the book also covers important topics such as snake-bites and their prevention, the signs and symptoms of venomous snake-bite, and first-aid measures for snake-bite victims.

There are handy tables to help in the identification of snakes.

This book is immensely helpful for formers, trekkers, students of natural history and doctors alike.

 

Foreword

'SNAKE!' the very word evokes feelings of horror and disgust in most of us. Snakes are also perceived as messengers of death. Like most people, I too harboured a fear of snakes, darkness and ghosts when I was a young man. The views of some of my seniors and other people around me only added to my fears.

For most of us, life is following conventions and going down the well-trodden path. Same was the case with me and so in 1968, on my father's advice, I took up a job in the government tourism department. I was assigned my duty in Matheran as a manager of the holiday home. At that time there were no proper roads. I made my way up to the hill station trekking through the forest. As I trudged along I dreamt about my future, and somewhere along the way I stopped to drink water.

Further on as I sought a place to rest, I got the shock of my life. The place I had chosen to rest was a small graveyard wherein lay the remains of seven Englishmen. Apparently they had all died of snake- bite under mysterious circumstances. The forest and the atmosphere around me affected me quite a bit. My enthusiasm vanished and was replaced by the fear of the unknown.

The thick forest of Matheran in those days not only harboured lots of snakes, but also was home to all kinds of wild animals. They all moved about freely. Everyday one would come across snakes at least three or four times. As for animals like civets, monkeys and birds, one just lost count.

I began working in Matheran, however my mind was in a turmoil. The monsoon was due soon. The tourist season becomes very lean during these rainy months. One spends most of the time doing repairs and maintenance work. It was while supervising such work that I encountered my first snake. I was apprehensive initially, but once I had caught it, fear gave way to curiosity. At that time, ideas about snake conservation and educating people about misconceptions about snakes had not even occurred to me. I had just become very inquisitive about these mysterious creatures.

I gradually educated myself and learnt about the behaviour of snakes. I studied their role in the environment and their importance in the food chain. I realized that the inhibitions I had about them were incorrect. As I decided to find out more information regarding the biology of snakes for myself, the determination to observe their behaviour and other aspects of their life-cycle in the forest came naturally. My career in this new field had truly begun.

Initially, I was busy catching snakes and learning to identify them. However I had no teacher or a guide. There weren't too many books on the subject. With a lot of effort, I obtained a book on snakes that was written in 1937. Shortly thereafter, I found a hundred year old publication - a Marathi book 'Hindusthanatil Sarp', by VG Chiplonkar. Finally, I had some sources information. My interest in snakes kept on growing and slowly it dawned on me that my life's passion would be to study them.

The scientific study of snakes is called 'Ophiology'. Nowadays many students are attracted to this discipline. Many of us now have realized that going against Nature is not sustainable and mankind can survive only if we consider ourselves a part of the eco-system and work in tandem.

Many species of snakes today are on the verge of extinction. During your lifetime some of them will even cease to exist. A large I number of snakes are killed due to the misconceptions that we I harbour about them. We must realize that snakes are a vital part of life on earth and are not expendable creatures.

Large tracts of forest that are home to innumerable snakes are being cleared for agriculture. To protect snakes we need to stop this deforestation. If something is not done about this, our future generations may see snakes only in photographs. So let us study them, get rid of our misconceptions, become their true friends and protect them.

We are grateful to Mrs Leena Tewari, Mr Prashant Tewari and USV Ltd. for appreciating our efforts and sponsoring this book. We are also grateful to Mr Balaji Rao and Venky's team for constant support and encouragement.

 

Contents

 

Snakes 9
Snake Anatomy 12
Symbols 21
Brahminy Worm Snake 22
Beaked Worm Snake 23
Phipson's Shieldtail 24
Mahabaleshwar Shieldtail 25
Bombay Shieldtail 26
Elliot's Shieldtail 28
Pied-belly Shieldtail 30
Indian Rock Python 32
Reticulated Python 34
John's Sand Boa 35
Common Sand Boa 36
Whitaker's Boa 37
Common Indian Trinket Snake 38
Montane Trinket Snake 39
Banded Trinket Snake 40
Green Rat Snake 41
Indian Rat Snake / Dhaman 42
Banded Racer 44
Gunther's Racer 46
Banded Kukri Snake 48
Variegated Kukri Snake 50
Black-headed Royal Snake 52
Bronzeback Tree Snake 53
Common Wolf Snake 54
Barred Wolf Snake 55
Travancore Wolf Snake 56
Yellow-spotted Wolf Snake 58
Dumeril's Black-headed Snake 60
Checkered Keelback Water Snake 62
Buff-striped Keelback 64
Green Keelback 66
Beddome's Keelback 68
Olive Keelback 70
Indian Smooth Snake 72
Olive Forest Snake 74
Lesser Stripe-necked Snake 76
File Snake 77
Dog-faced Water Snake 78
Glossy Marsh Snake 80
Ornamental Flying Snake 82
Common Indian Cat Snake 84
Ceylon Cat Snake 86
Beddome's Cat Snake 88
Forsten's Cat Snake 90
Stout Sand Snake 92
Leith's Sand Snake 94
Western Sand Snake 95
Common Vine Snake 96
Brown Vine Snake 98
Indian Egg-eater 102
Banded Krait 104
Common Indian Krait 106
Wall's Sind Krail 107
Slender Coral Snake 108
Striped Coral Snake 110
Spectacled Cobra 112
King Cobra 114
Monocellate Cobra 116
Short Sea Snake 117
Hook-nosed Sea Snake 118
Many-toothed Sea Snake 119
Russell's Viper 120
Saw-scaled Viper 122
Hump-nosed Pit Viper 124
Malabar Pit Viper 126
Bamboo Pit Viper 128
Medo Pit Viper 129
Kaulback's Lance-headed Pit Viper 130
Look-alikes 132
Signs & symptoms of venomous snake-bites 136
How to avoid snake-bites 140
What if a snake enters your house? 144
Ensuring safety 145
How to rescue a snake 146
Common misbeliefs & superstitions about snakes 147

Sample Page


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