By Express News Service - BELLARY 11th April 2013
A rare mildly venomous snake Coluber bolanathi, commonly known as Nagarjun Sagar Racer, has been discovered for the first time at Bellary in Karnataka.
The 31-inch C. Bolanathi was rescued by conservationist and businessman Aditya Vattam from the backyard of a house near Bellary Fort recently.
Coluber bolanathi is found in dry and rocky hills of South India. It was first spotted in Nallamala hills of Andhra Pradesh in 1976 by R C Sharma but there is no record of it in Karnataka till now, Vattam told Express.
A member of indiansnakes.org, Vattam sent its photographs to the portal founder Vivek Sharma for identification.
Sharma confirmed that it was the first record of the snake in Karnataka.
He told Express that after the discovery of the snake in 1976, there were no significant attempts to study this species due to lack of literature and photographs.
C. bolanathi is chocolate brown with numerous light brown bands in the back of its body. It is a fast and alert species, active during the day. The racer can grow upto 110 cm, said Vattam.
As dry and rocky hills are the preferred habitat of this snake, the conservationist urged for the protection of the rocky hills of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to ensure the safety of this little known snake.
Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/Rare-snake-spotted-in-state-for-the-first-time/2013/04/11/article1539767.ece
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| Coluber bolanathi | Express Photo |
The 31-inch C. Bolanathi was rescued by conservationist and businessman Aditya Vattam from the backyard of a house near Bellary Fort recently.
Coluber bolanathi is found in dry and rocky hills of South India. It was first spotted in Nallamala hills of Andhra Pradesh in 1976 by R C Sharma but there is no record of it in Karnataka till now, Vattam told Express.
A member of indiansnakes.org, Vattam sent its photographs to the portal founder Vivek Sharma for identification.
Sharma confirmed that it was the first record of the snake in Karnataka.
He told Express that after the discovery of the snake in 1976, there were no significant attempts to study this species due to lack of literature and photographs.
C. bolanathi is chocolate brown with numerous light brown bands in the back of its body. It is a fast and alert species, active during the day. The racer can grow upto 110 cm, said Vattam.
As dry and rocky hills are the preferred habitat of this snake, the conservationist urged for the protection of the rocky hills of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to ensure the safety of this little known snake.
Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/Rare-snake-spotted-in-state-for-the-first-time/2013/04/11/article1539767.ece
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