Post by Melanie on Jul 29, 2005 22:51:39 GMT
This snake is not extinct
Herpetologists confirm the Indian egg-eater's identity
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Collaboration with a team of taxonomists from India and Germany resulted in the snake being identified as the Indian egg-eater
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MUMBAI: A specimen of the Indian egg-eater, or Elachistodon westermanni, a snake believed to have been extinct, has been found — and it has rocked the arcane world of herpetology. Almost two years after a snake rescuer in Wardha district of Maharashtra found it, herpetologists and taxonomists from India and Russia have confirmed its identity.
Parag Dandge, the young rescuer, district coordinator of the Satpuda Foundation in Wardha, found a small dead snake covered by ants in Wardha on August 3, 2003. He preserved it, little realising the significance of the find.
Unable to identify the snake, Parag sent its pictures to the Centre for Herpetology, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Chennai; the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Indian Herpetological Society (IPS), Pune. "Collaboration with a team of taxonomists from India and Germany resulted in the snake being identified as the Indian egg-eater, Elachistodon westermanni,'' Mr. Dandge said.
Physical appearance
The Indian egg-eater is brown or dark grey. It has a distinctly flattened body, vertical pupils in the eye and a whitish stripe that runs down the back.
Taxonomists Ashok Captain from Pune, Frank Tillack and Andreas Gumprecht (both Germany) have co-authored a paper on the finding, with Mr. Dandge. It has been accepted by the Russian Journal of Herpetology.
Mr. Captain said fewer than 10 specimens have ever been found. This led several authorities on the subject to believe it was extinct.
Records
He said there are records of the Indian egg-eater having been present in Bangladesh and Nepal, besides India — in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttaranchal.
Further observations are needed to determine its present status and habitat requirements and formulate measures to ensure its survival, Mr. Captain said.
Herpetologists confirm the Indian egg-eater's identity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collaboration with a team of taxonomists from India and Germany resulted in the snake being identified as the Indian egg-eater
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUMBAI: A specimen of the Indian egg-eater, or Elachistodon westermanni, a snake believed to have been extinct, has been found — and it has rocked the arcane world of herpetology. Almost two years after a snake rescuer in Wardha district of Maharashtra found it, herpetologists and taxonomists from India and Russia have confirmed its identity.
Parag Dandge, the young rescuer, district coordinator of the Satpuda Foundation in Wardha, found a small dead snake covered by ants in Wardha on August 3, 2003. He preserved it, little realising the significance of the find.
Unable to identify the snake, Parag sent its pictures to the Centre for Herpetology, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Chennai; the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Indian Herpetological Society (IPS), Pune. "Collaboration with a team of taxonomists from India and Germany resulted in the snake being identified as the Indian egg-eater, Elachistodon westermanni,'' Mr. Dandge said.
Physical appearance
The Indian egg-eater is brown or dark grey. It has a distinctly flattened body, vertical pupils in the eye and a whitish stripe that runs down the back.
Taxonomists Ashok Captain from Pune, Frank Tillack and Andreas Gumprecht (both Germany) have co-authored a paper on the finding, with Mr. Dandge. It has been accepted by the Russian Journal of Herpetology.
Mr. Captain said fewer than 10 specimens have ever been found. This led several authorities on the subject to believe it was extinct.
Records
He said there are records of the Indian egg-eater having been present in Bangladesh and Nepal, besides India — in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttaranchal.
Further observations are needed to determine its present status and habitat requirements and formulate measures to ensure its survival, Mr. Captain said.
