Fall Herping at the Kankakee Sands 1

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
August 29th 2015

Species Found:

1. Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis trianglum triangulum)
2. Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)
3. Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)
4. Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxii)
5. Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata)
6. Bull Snake (Pituophis catenefer sayi)
7. Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
8. Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
9. Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
10. Western Slender Glass Lizard (Ophiosaurus a. attenuatus)
11. Six-Lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata)
12. Western Fox Snake (Pantherophis vulpinus)
13. Northern Water Snake (Nerodia s. sipedon)

Background:
A herper from North Carolina named Thomas was in Illinois and wanted to see the herpetofauna of the state. A group of us met him at the Kankakee Sands to show him some snakes. Tristan and I had been to this spot a few times before and knew the area pretty well. We met some old friends: Conner, Culton, Matt and a few of Matt's coworkers, who would also look for herps with us.

The Trip:

By the time we pulled up, the herping had already begun and they had found a large Eastern Milk Snake under a wooden board. After introductions, most of us went to look for more snakes while others stayed to photograph the Milk Snake. In the next stretch, we found plenty of Gray Treefrogs and a few Fowler's Toads. Tristan found a Chorus Frog, a species that was pretty rare in these parts.

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Gray Treefrog: PC Tristan Schramer

Western Chorus Frog: PC Tristan Schramer

Conner and one of Matt's coworkers each found Blue Racers under boards. Conner caught his while the other escaped into some thorny bushes. It was a beautiful specimen about 4 foot in length.

Blue Racer: PC Tristan Schramer

The next snake found was a 4.5 foot Bull Snake by Thomas. It was his first Bull Snake so he was pretty excited. Some others found a few Garter Snakes and a Brown Snake, species that were extremely common elsewhere but pretty rare in the Kankakee Sands.

While we were walking through the sand prairie, I saw the tail of a Glass Lizard zip between some bushes. I tried to locate the animal but it was long gone. While everyone was searching the area for the Glass Lizard, Matt found an Ornate Box Turtle. This was the highlight of the trip because Ornate Box Turtles are extremely hard to find and are even listed as a Threatened Species in Illinois. Tristan had seen every Kankakee Sands species except for the Ornate Box Turtle so when he found out, he was ecstatic.

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Ornate Box Turtle: PC Tristan Schramer

Tristan and a few others stopped to photograph the turtle while I pressed on with a few others. We didn't find much else so we decided to move to another spot: a trailer nearby that had some tin and boards near it. There we found another Milk Snake and a Racerunner. Some of the other guys had never seen a Racerunner before but I had seen plenty.

Eastern Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Six-lined Racerunner: PC Tristan Schramer

Next we went to another spot: some disused railway tracks that were know to harbor Fox Snakes. On the way from the car to the tracks, I saw several dead Leopard Frogs and hatchling Snapping Turtles on the road. I had never seen a live Snapping Turtle so I looked in the area but didn't find anything. We got to the tracks and started flipping old ties, rocks and logs. I lifted a rock that was half buried in the ground and found 3 hatching Fox Snakes. Each was a little over 6 inches long and they had very calm temperaments. While everyone was passing around and inspecting the snakes, I lifted the another rock next to the previous one and found 2 more baby Fox Snakes. I had found a nest of baby Fox Snakes!

Hatchling Fox Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Meanwhile, Thomas found a Northern Water Snake under a log. It was an average sized male and had the average temperament of a water snake: nasty. Matt and his coworkers found a 2 more Northern Water Snakes and 3 more baby Fox Snakes in a rock pile. We photographed the snakes and released them. Soon, Matt yelled for someone to help him. He had a huge Northern Water Snake by the tail but the majority of its body was tangled in a clump of plants. I ran over and located the snake's head. With one motion, I grabbed its neck before it could bite me, which it was desperately trying to do. I pulled it out of the plants and handed the snake to Matt. It was a 4.5 foot female.
On the way back, someone saw another Garter Snake disappear into a hole under the rails. We tried to locate it but we couldn't.

Northern Water Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Trips to Kankakee are always fun but this one was even better because we got to see the Ornate Box Turtle, a beautiful rare species that nobody in our group had seen before.

Fall Herping at the Vermilion River Observatory, Illinois

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Date:
August 28th 2015

Species Found:

1. Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus)
2. Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
3. Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
4. Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum)
5. Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
6. Western Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae elegans)
7. Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
8. Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
9. Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi)

Background:

Tristan and I had been given permission to do herp surveys at the Vermilion River Observatory last Spring, so we decided to go back out there to see what we could find in the Fall. One Friday evening after classes, Sam, Tristan, I and a few non-herpers: Lewin and Elliot, went to the VRO to check the cover objects that we had set out last Spring.

The Trip:

The first thing we did was stop by a large pile of tin that we had checked last Spring. Working together, we started moving the huge sheets of tin, one at a time. A few layers deep, we found 3 Ringneck Snakes. Tristan could only grab 2 as the precision of his fingers was compromised by the gloves he was wearing. The third snake escaped deeper into the tin pile, bit we weren't disappointed as we knew that we would find it eventually. After about 10 minutes, we had gone through the whole

tin pile and we had 8 Ringneck Snakes. In the Spring we had found just one in this pile, so finding so many was a pleasant surprise. While we were putting the tin back into its original position, Lewin spotted a snake moving through the grass and immediately jumped and grabbed it by the tail. For someone who had never caught snakes before, his reflexes were surprisingly good. I helped him pull the snake out of the grass and it turned out to be an Eastern Garter Snake, a common species throughout the region.

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We moved on to the spot where we had found a Blue Racer last time. Sam found a Milk Snake under a piece of wood, which came as a surprise because nobody expected to find that species in this region. Lewin found a Brown Snake under some wood there too but we didn't find that large Blue Racer from last time. We did however find some Blue Racer eggs under a piece of tin in the same area.

Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Milk Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Next, we went to a patch of woods which had some debris lying around, perfect habitat for many a reptile and amphibian. There, we found a number of American Toads under objects as well as out in the open. In a collapsed shack, I found a Red Back Salamander under a paint can lid. Meanwhile, Tristan ran out of an old broken down trailer saying that there was a raccoon inside hissing at him. I heard the hissing but I didn't think it was a raccoon so I circled around the trailer and looked in through the window at the back. I saw a medium sized animal sitting up on the counter but it definitely was not a raccoon. At first I thought it was a small dog, then a cat, and then it dawned on me that I was looking at a bird. It was a young Turkey Vulture, with its white down feathers still intact. It was the same size as an adult but the colors were nothing like an adult's black plumage. I went into the trailer to get a better look at it and it continued hissing loudly, clicked its beak and jumped off the counter to hide under a table. I managed to get just one crappy photo with my phone before it disappeared from my sight.

Red Back Salamander: PC Yatin Kalki

Turkey Vulture: PC Yatin Kalki

We continued searching for snakes in the same area. I found another Ringneck but this one had a very different belly pattern from the others we had found. It had 3 rows of black spots instead of just one. Sam found a snake that he thought was another Brown Snake but when Tristan took a look at it, he identified it as a Smooth Earth Snake. We knew that this was definitely a new record for this site but we were unsure of its status in Vermilion County. Later, we found out that the last Smooth Earth documented in the county was back in 1991. We had found the first Vermilion County Smooth Earth in over 20 years!

Unusual Ringneck Belly Pattern: PC Tristan Schramer

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

Smooth Earth Snake: PC Tristan Schramer

We then took some time to photograph the animals we had seen. A Ringneck we had found was in the process of shedding its skin and we got the whole process in a series of shots. After we had taken detailed photos of our finds, we decided to walk through the woods to see if we could find any other interesting stuff. We found a few Wood Frogs and a Cricket Frog but that was about it.

Ringneck Snake Shedding Skin: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake Shedding Skin: PC Tristan Schramer

Ringneck Snake Shedding Skin: PC Tristan Schramer

Wood Frog: PC Yatin Kalki

We hadn't seen the Black Rat Snake that we were hoping to find at this site but we did make a lot of very cool finds. This will definitely not be our last trip to the VRO this Fall, so hopefully we find it some time in the future.

Snake Rescue in Bangalore, India

Spectacled Cobra: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
July 30th and August 3rd 2015

Species Found:

1. Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja)
2. Russell's Viper (Daboia russelii)

Background:

After returning to Bangalore from my project in Agumbe, I got word that there had been multiple snake sightings in my neighborhood and that snakes were even getting into people's houses. As a result, a Checkered Keelback had been killed in someone's bathroom. I spread the word that I was back in town for a while and would gladly help with any problem snakes.

The Rescues:

Spectacled Cobra-

I had been back home for a little over a week when I got my first call. I woke up to my cell phone ringing at 7:20 am. I was dead sleepy and I groggily answered the phone. As soon as I heard the word "haavu" ("snake" in Kannada), I snapped awake and hastily dressed. The snake was apparently in the bathroom of a house a few doors down from mine. I ran into the house with my snake hook and bag to find a man, a woman and a security guard named Ramesh waiting for me. I asked them exactly what had happened and where the snake was. The man said that he had gone into the bathroom to wash his hands, heard a hissing sound and looked up to see a snake coiled up on the counter behind the toothbrush mug. They didn't know what kind of snake it was so I went in to see for myself. The snake was lying flat on the counter but I could tell from its eyes and the shape of its snout that it was a Spectacled Cobra. I told the family that I would have to close the door in case the snake tried to escape. I asked Ramesh to come in and assist me. First, I cleared all the objects on the counter in front of the snake: the toothbrush mug, a potted plant and a cup. As I moved the objects, the snake started to hood up and go into a defensive posture. It was hissing loudly when my dad showed up and asked if I needed any help. I told him to bring me a pipe and some rubber bands so that I could catch the snake without grabbing it by the neck. The idea was to fix the pipe to the opening of the bag with rubber bands and then coax the snake to "escape" into the dark hole. My dad brought me the material and I placed the pipe and bag on the counter in front of the snake. The snake seemed to think of it as a threat so it kept its eyes fixed on me with its hood raised. I then realized that this snake was not going to try to escape into the pipe as long as it was in such an enclosed space with 2 humans staring at it. I then gave the pipe and bag to Ramesh and told him to be ready with just the bag. The cobra then focused all of its attention on Ramesh. This gave me the opportunity to get the handle of my snake hook behind the cobra's head without it noticing. I slowly moved the stick up the cobra's neck and then down to pin its head against the surface of the counter. I waited for 10 seconds to make sure that the cobra was securely pinned before I moved my right hand in to hold its neck. With my thumb, index and middle finger, I held the cobra's neck and picked it up off the counter. I secured its tail with my left hand and told Ramesh to hold the bag open. I first dropped the tail in and then the head. As soon as the whole snake was in the bag, I twisted the bag and knotted it tightly. I shook hands with Ramesh and walked out triumphantly with the captured snake. The man and woman thanked me and I took the snake back to my house along with my dad.

Snakes need to be released within their home range, which is a few square kilometers, otherwise they get confused and come in conflict with other snakes. I decided to release the cobra in a scrub forest less than 2 kilometers from my house. I had been there before and I knew that there were plenty of rats and not many people. I took the driver, Satish and a gardener, Hanumantha along with me. The plan was to find an open area, get photos of the cobra and then let it go. I found a nice open area with a large tree with plenty of holes near the roots on one side, and a ditch with plenty of rats on the other side. I let the cobra out of the bag and grabbed it by the tail. It desperately tried to escape but when it realized that I was holding its tail, it struck at me a few times. Fortunately, it didn't land a single bite. I wanted it to go into the defensive posture with its hood raised but it was still in escape mode. It took a few minutes but it finally shifted from escape mode to defense mode and raised its hood with its eyes on me. At that time, I pulled out my phone camera and started clicking away. I circled the cobra, taking photos and it followed my every move, spinning while facing me. When I was satisfied with the photos I backed off and let it escape. It slowly dropped its hood and slithered off into the ditch. I'm sure that now the rats in that ditch have a more stressful life.

Spectacled Cobra: PC Yatin Kalki

Spectacled Cobra: PC Yatin Kalki

Spectacled Cobra: PC Yatin Kalki

Spectacled Cobra escaping into ditch: PC Yatin Kalki

Russell's Viper-

I was out at a friend's house at around 9:30 pm when my dad called me saying that the security guards needed me to catch a snake. I knew that I would take at least another half hour to get home so I asked him to go and check it out. He called me a few minutes later saying that the snake apparently escaped into a bush. I still knew that there was a chance that the snake was still around so I rushed home. As soon as I got home, I grabbed my snake hook, bag and flashlight and ran out to the bushes where they had last seen the snake. My dad, a security guard and I searched the whole area but found nothing. I showed the security guards a few photos and they pointed to the Russell's Viper and said that that was the snake they had seen. I told them that it was a highly venomous snake and then they were even more eager to get it out of the area as apparently kids played there. I gave them my phone number and told them to call in case they saw it again. I went into my house and sat down to eat dinner, my phone right beside me. My parents were out on their walk around the community. After about 10 minutes, my phone rang and it was my dad. I picked up the phone and heard the words "snake" and "road". I was already out the door with my gear before my dad was done talking. I ran down the road to find a crowd of around 6 people gathered around a drain on the side of the road. My dad pointed to the drain and showed me the tail of the snake slowly disappearing into it. I immediately grabbed the tail with my left hand and used the hook in my right hand to guide the snake out of the drain. As soon as I could see half of its body, I knew for sure that it was a Russell's Viper, a deadly snake with a fearsome temperament. As I moved it to the center of the road, it hissed loudly and struck at me a few times. Among the crowd was my mom, and she was frantically yelling at me to "let it go" or "be careful". I asked my dad to get the pipe because the snake was clearly in "escape mode". My dad ran home and brought the pipe while I was repeatedly moving the snake away from the drain and back onto the road. I put one end of the pipe into the bag and set it down for the snake to slither into. The ground was uneven and the pipe kept rolling and the snake kept going right next to the pipe. My dad ran back home to get rubber bands for me to fasten the bag to the pipe. In the meantime, I tried guiding the snake's head right in front of the pipe with my hook. It took about 10 tries but the snake finally put its head into the pipe. When its body was about halfway in, I tapped the tail to make it move in faster. I then lifted the pipe and bag, making the snake fall into the bag. With the help of my hook, I twisted and knotted the bag. The people in the crowd clapped and I walked back home with the captured snake. My dad was coming out of the house and I told him that it was done. He sighed with relief.

The next morning I decided to let it go in the same scrub forest that I had left the cobra in. Satish the driver, Ramesh the security guard and I headed into the scrub area with the snake in the bag, the snake hook, a camera and tripod. We found a nice open field with a lot of vegetation on all sides. I set up the tripod with the camera and slowly let the snake out of the bag. From the moment it got out, it was hell bent on escaping. I was hoping it would go into the characteristic Russell's Viper defense posture, with its whole body coiled up with the head at the center, but it did not. However, it was moving very slowly across the sandy ground so I decided to shoot photos of it like that. I got plenty of photos of it on the move before I decided to let it go. I picked it up with my snake hook and carried it to a spot with a lot of vegetation and a few rat holes. It disappeared into the thick grass without a trace.

Russell's Viper: PC Yatin 

Russell's Viper: PC Yatin 

Russell's Viper: PC Yatin 

Russell's Viper: PC Yatin 

Reptiles of Agumbe, India

Xenochrophis piscator: PC Yatin Kalki

Date:
May 27th to June 22nd 2015

Species Found:

1. Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta)
2. Malabar Pit Viper (Trimeresurus malabaricus)
3. Hump Nosed Pit Viper (Hypnale hypnale)
4. Checkered Keelback (Xenochrophis piscator)
5. Beddome's Keelback (Amphiesma beddomei)
6. Striped Keelback (Amphiesma stolatum)
7. Travancore Wolf Snake (Lycodon travancoricus)
8. Indian Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosa)
9. Brahminy Worm Snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus)
10. Indian Dwarf Gecko (Cnemaspis indraneildasii)
11. Yellow Bellied House Gecko (Hemidactylus flaviviridis)
12. Roux's Forest Lizard (Calotes rouxii)
13. Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor)
14. Nilgiri Forest Lizard (Calotes nemoricola)
15. Brahminy Skink (Eutropis carinata)
16. Gunther's Snake Skink (Lygosoma guentheri)
17. Indian Flying Lizard (Draco dussumieri)

Background:

I am doing a 3 month long research project in the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats near Agumbe, Karnataka. I am working with herpetologist, Gowri Shankar, at his research base at the Kalinga Center for Raiforest Ecology. My project is titled 'Use of Artificial Cover by Reptiles and Amphibians'. I have number of sites where I have laid out tin sheets, wooden boards and roof tiles. Everyday I check under them to see if any animals are using them. I see some animals under my cover objects but most are encountered while I'm walking between sites. These are some of the reptiles that I encounter during the course of my fieldwork. [I am writing this post during a week long break. My research project ends only in August]

Green Vine Snake

Ahaetulla nasuta: PC Yatin Kalki

The Green Vine Snake is a master of camouflage. Its slender body is almost impossible to pick out in the thick vegetation of the Agumbe rainforest. Nonetheless, it is probably the most common snake in the region. It takes patience and practice to find this snake but once you have the technique down, you start to see them everywhere. A day hasn't gone by where I haven't seen a Green Vine Snake. My record is 7 in one day. These snakes will often spend multiple days resting or waiting to hunt on the same plant. Around our base, we have a few resident Green Vine Snakes which we have observed feeding, sleeping and even mating. Green Vines are diurnal, so as soon as it gets dark they curl up on a plant and go to sleep. In the dark, they are a lot easier to see by torch light.

Sleeping Ahaetulla nasuta: PC Yatin Kalki

I will often spot a Green Vine Snake at night and then return to the same spot early in the morning to watch it uncurl and get ready to hunt or move. It's horizontal pupils give it excellent depth perception, which helps it catch frogs and lizards. It then immobilizes the prey with the mild venom from its rear fangs and then proceeds to swallow. The venom is lethal to small animals but has no effect on humans.

Ambush position of Ahaetulla nasuta: PC Yatin Kalki

When threatened, Green Vine Snakes will try to escape by moving quickly through the vegetation. If they don't have a clear escape route, they will inflate their bodies and expose the interscale black and white colors, and also open their mouths. This display is just for intimidation. They are actually very calm and peaceful creatures.

Defensive position of Ahaetulla nasuta: PC Yatin Kalki

Defensive position of Ahaetulla nasuta: PC Yatin Kalki

I found the individual in both photos above by accident while walking to my site in the grassland. The grassland has a few scattered trees with rocks and scrub grass between them. I accidentally brushed past this tree while walking and there happened to be a Green Vine Snake in it. Since it was not able to escape to another tree, it first inflated its body and then opened its mouth when I started to take photos. I brought my camera pretty close to its face, but it didn't strike even once.

Malabar Pit Viper

Green Morph of Trimeresurus malabaricus: PC Yatin Kalki

These snakes are also pretty common during the monsoon season, when they breed. They are nocturnal ambush hunters, so I often see them sitting in a coiled hunting position at night. They wait for unsuspecting frogs, lizards and small mammals to cross their path and then deliver a lightning-quick strike, injecting haemotoxic venom. This venom is potent against small animals but it only causes pain and swelling in humans. They come in different colors or morphs, ranging from green to brown to even orange and yellow. I have seen about half a dozen light green individuals, 

Brown Morph of Trimeresurus malabaricus: PC Yatin Kalki

At one point, we observed courtship going on between a male and female MPV. The male was brown and about half the size of the female, who was light green. The male stayed next to the female for 3 days, occasionally nudging her and flicking his tongue but I guess he was unsuccessful because we then found the female sitting alone.

Courtship of Trimeresurus malabaricus: PC Yatin Kalki

Hump Nosed Pit Viper

Hypnale hypnale: PC Yatin Kalki

The Hump Nosed Pit Viper is another snake that is seen a lot more frequently during the monsoon season. It is not a very big snake, growing to a maximum length of about 1.5 feet. Like the Malabar Pit Viper, it is a venomous ambush hunter. Its habitat is the leaf litter of the forest and thus, it is quite hard to see due to its camouflage. The first time I saw this snake, a group of 4 of us were making our way through the forest, digging in random spots in search of a Wormsnake. We were disturbing the leaf litter a lot and as a result, a visitor in our group spotted this tiny snake crossing his path. I followed the snake to the base of a tree, where it coiled up in defense. The snake stayed in the very same spot for around 6 hours, allowing us to get a good number of photos. Since that time, I have seen 4 more individuals of this species, including one under a wooden board in the grassland.

Checkered Keelback

Xenochrophis piscator: PC Yatin Kalki

The Checkered Keelback gets its name from its checkerboard pattern and the keeled scales on its back. It is a non-venomous water snake, and perhaps the most plentiful snake in India. It was certainly one of the most common snakes at KCRE too. At least 3 times, I had gone to the edge of the pond at night, to see the tail of a thick snake disappear into the bushes before I could get a good look at it. I always suspected that it was a Checkered Keelback but I couldn't be sure. One day, I shined my light on a large Checkered Keelback in the middle of the pond. I sat down to watch as it swam to the edge of the water and started targeting a Skittering Frog on the bank. The snake slowly inched out of the water, closer to the frog. It stopped moving for a while so I decided to move down the bank to get a closer look. I climbed down and sat on a rock about 10 feet away from the snake and the frog. The snake was still moving towards the frog, when suddenly the frog took notice and hopped away. The snake was now on the bank so I moved in for photos. I managed to get less than 6 inches from the snakes head without it moving. Only when I got up after taking photos, did the snake turn around and head back into the water. I was surprised at how bold this snake had been. When I got back to camp, I told the others about it and Udit said that there was a Checkered Keelback in the area which was unafraid of humans, slithering over a visitor's foot in the past. I saw the same individual 3 more times after that, twice in the pond and once in the well.

Juvenile Xenochrophis piscator: PC Yatin Kalki

A few weeks later, I was walking through the Acacia plantation with another intern named Aishwarya when she spotted some movement in the grass. I took a closer look and found that it was a juvenile Checkered Keelback. It was only about 20 cm long and it didn't have the characteristic pattern yet, but I could tell it was a Checkered Keelback.

Patternless Xenochrophis piscator: PC Yatin Kalki

Recently, I found a Checkered Keelback under a piece of tin in the plantation. This individual didn't have the pattern but it was about 2 foot long. I could only identify it from its temperament. It just goes to show how variable the patterns can be on this species. I have also had other encounters with Checkered Keelbacks at KCRE. There was one that came into the dining hall during heavy rain and another that was in a 50 foot deep well, thriving on frogs that fell in.

Beddome's Keelback

Adult Amphiesma beddomei: PC Yatin Kalki

The Beddome's Keelback is another species commonly found in the Western Ghats. It rarely exceeds 2 feet in length and lives mostly in the leaf litter or under rocks. I found quite a few Beddome's Keelbacks under my cover objects in various places. The first Beddome's Keelback that I saw was a juvenile on my first day. I found it under a rock on a dry streambed. Since then, I have found Beddome's Keelbacks consistently under rocks in the forest and grassland.

Juvenile Amphiesma beddomei: PC Yatin Kalki

Subadult Amphiesma beddomei: PC Yatin Kalki

Striped Keelback

Amphiesma stolatum: PC Yatin Kalki

The Striped Keelback is a fairly common plains snake. It is not so common in the Western Ghats because of the rainforest. I found a single Striped Keelback in all my time at KCRE and I found it in the grassland. This was my first and only encounter with a Striped Keelback and I was reminded a lot of the Garter Snakes found in the US. Striped Keelbacks are known to be very calm and gentle snakes.

Amphiesma stolatum: PC Yatin Kalki

Travancore Wolf Snake

Lycodon travancoricus: PC Yatin Kalki

The Travancore Wolf Snake is a species found only in the Western Ghats. I had seen the Indian Wolf Snake in Bangalore but the Travancore Wolf Snake was a new find for me. This individual was found on the move near the kitchen at night. It is called a Wolf Snake because of its long front teeth that resemble canines.

Indian Rat Snake

I saw at least 3 individual Rat Snakes at KCRE but they were all so fast that I couldn't get a photo of a single one. The Rat Snakes I saw there were quite different from the ones I had seen in Bangalore. They were dark brown or black while the ones in Bangalore were greenish yellow.

Braminy Worm Snake

Ramphotyphlops braminus: PC Yatin Kalki

This species is commonly found throughout India. It is parthenogenic, which means that it can lay eggs without fertilization. I found a Wormsnake under a rock in the forest and 2 days later Gowri came and told us to collect a Wormsnake for some research. We spent weeks looking for a Wormsnake but were unsuccessful. Finally, I found one when I went to Bangalore and handed it over to Gowri. Recently, I found another Wormsnake under a rock in the grassland. It was right in the middle of an ant colony, probably feeding on the larvae.

Indian Dwarf Gecko

Cnemaspis indraneildasii: PC Yatin Kalki

This species is commonly found in the Agumbe region. I saw many of them on the walls and pillars of the dining hall, kitchen and bathroom. I had seen other Cnemaspis species before but this one was new to me.

Yellow Bellied House Gecko

Hemidactylus flaviviridis: PC Yatin Kalki

This Gecko is common throughout India, but I only saw 2 individuals around KCRE. One was found on the wall of an abandoned house and the other was found on the signs in our dining hall.

Hemidactylus flaviviridis: PC Yatin Kalki

Roux's Forest Lizard

Calotes rouxii: PC Yatin Kalki

This lizard is another endemic species. I found many of these throughout the Areca plantation and in various other places. The males have red heads with black bodies while the females are green, yellow or brown. While digging to construct a tent platform, we found 4 small eggs that we suspected were of this species. We brought them back and put them in a box with soil to let them hatch. A few weeks later, we had 4 baby Forest Lizards, which we released.

Hatchling Calotes rouxii: PC Yatin Kalki

Hatchling Calotes rouxii: PC Yatin Kalki

Oriental Garden Lizard

These are very common in Bangalore but were less common in Agumbe. I saw 3 or 4 individuals in total and all of them were very skittish, unlike the ones in Bangalore. I didn't manage to photograph any of these lizards.

Nilgiri Hills Lizard

Calotes nemoricola: PC Yatin Kalki

Udit and I found this lizard when we were walking on the stream at night. It was sleeping on a branch and I decided to come back in the morning to get photos of it. Sure enough, I found it in the same spot in the morning and proceeded to take some photos. It got disturbed by my presence and jumped off the branch and onto a rock.

Calotes nemoricola: PC Yatin Kalki

It then climbed up a different tree but now its head was a different color. Until recently, I though it was a Green Forest Lizard (Calotes calotes) but now I know that is a Niligiri Hills Lizard

Calotes nemoricola: PC Yatin Kalki

Brahminy Skink

Eutropis carinata: PC Yatin Kalki

Brahminy Skinks were very common around KCRE. I even ha one resting on the outside of my tent for a whole week. One memorable incident involving Brahminy Skinks happened a week or so after I arrived. Gayathri and I were flipping rocks in the forest when we found two small eggs under a rock. I didn't know what kind of eggs they were so I picked one up, inspected it and then handed it to Gayathri. She held it in her palm for a few seconds and then suddenly, the egg split open and a tiny skink jumped out, off her hand and into the leaf litter. The egg had hatched in her hand! We took the other egg back to camp and put it in a box with soil. It hatched after a few days and there was another baby skink running around in the box. I put some termites in for it to eat and surprisingly, it hunted and ate 5 termites in 10 minutes, just hours after it was born. We released this one in the place we found the eggs.

Hatchling Eutropis carinata: PC Yatin Kalki

Subadult Eutropis carinata: PC Yatin Kalki

Guenther's Snake Skink

Lygosoma guentheri: PC Yatin Kalki

Guenther's Snake Skink was a new species for me. I found them consistently under rocks and pieces of concrete near an abandoned house. I didn't find out what kind of Snake Skink it was until recently. I saw a juvenile with a red tail under a particular piece of concrete at least 10 times.

Juvenile Lygosoma guentheri: PC Yatin Kalki

Indian Flying Lizard

Draco dussumieri: PC Yatin Kalki

Draco Lizards were common in the Areca plantations. They would glide between trees and signal to each other with their bright yellow dulaps. They were always too high for me to photograph, but I spent a lot of time just observing them.