Chrysopelea ornata Maximum length: 5.5 feet Can a snake really fly? Of course not. True powered flight is only achieved by animals with wings like insects, birds, and bats. The flying snake, like flying frogs, flying lemurs, and flying squirrels, … Continue reading
Click on the images to load them in high resolution The trouble with most camera equipment is that it gets outdated very quickly. Photography equipment is evolving so rapidly these days that many professional photographers simply change their cameras altogether … Continue reading
Ahaetulla pulverulenta Average length: 3 feet Vine snakes are synonymous with the color green and are the epitome of camouflage when they inhabit plants and trees. So why is this species of vine snake brown in color? For the simple … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution Nyctibatracus Average length: 2.5 inches ‘It simply has to be a bird. The call is unmistakably bird-like. But why would a bird call in the middle of the night in … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution. Venomous Average length: 2 feet ‘Have you seen the bright yellow viper in the bush in front of the building?’asked Chetana ‘Is it still there?’ I asked while continuing to … Continue reading
Click on the pics below to load them in high resolution With a body like a creeper, a tail as slim and delicate as a tendril, and a parrot green color finish, the Vine snake secures a place as one … Continue reading
Click on the images to load them in higher resolution This monsoon I had an unusual client. A tall young German by the name of Frank contacted me with an unusual request. He wanted to spend ten days only looking … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution (Varanus bengalensis) Maximum length: 1.7 meters. With a velociraptor like face, predatory swagger for a walk, and a massive and powerful body as an adult, the monitor lizard makes for … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution Certain species of snakes I simply never find. As a snake rescuer working only in coastal Goa I only encounter about twelve odd species in people’s homes. For anything outside … Continue reading
Venomous Average length: 10 inches A few months ago I got a phone call from my collegue Vicky. He was bursting with excitement. ‘I have something very special for you’ was all he was willing to tell me. Vicky rescues … Continue reading
Average length: 3-4 inches Sidesh obviously knew his wildlife spotting places. As we drove through the heavy rain in the night, the steep road climbing the Chorla Ghat illuminated only by my car headlights, he suddenly signaled me to stop … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution Semi-venomous Goa is home to over thirty species of snakes. A majority of them however, are rarely seen since these snakes are either restricted to specific areas or habitats and … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution The Forsten’s Catsnake is a giant among catsnakes. At at whooping 91 inches maximum recorded length it is certainly the largest of all the catsnakes in India. Catsnakes are strange … Continue reading
Click on the images themselves to load them in high resolution Average length: 4-5 feet. India’s most famous snake is also one of the commonest species that is found in Goa. I have caught at least 300 cobras in the … Continue reading
Click on the pic to load it in high resolution Of the ‘Big Four’ dangerous snakes found in India, the Common Krait is the most venomous. Its venom – a powerful neurotoxin – is supposed to be fifteen times more … Continue reading
Click on the pics themselves to load them in high resolution Of the 275 odd species of snakes found in India only four are viewed as a real threat to humans. These four species of snakes – grouped under the … Continue reading
Click on the pics themselves to see them in high resolution. In my last column we got introduced to the first of the ‘Big Four’ venomous snakes: the Russell’s Viper. This time let’s get to know its close but much … Continue reading
Click on the images to load them in higher resolution Around nine one evening, I heard a loud squeak come from just outside my room. I knew immediately that it was the sound of a rat in trouble. Torch in … Continue reading
Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Average length: 6.5 inches Click on the pic to load it in high resolution Every year in June, when the heaviest rains hit Goa, an army of bullfrogs begins to call right behind my house. Their call, a … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution Length females up to 35 cm. Males 10 cm less The Indian flap shell turtle is a very comical looking creature. Its neck when fully extended resembles a snake and … Continue reading
Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) Average length: 2.5 feet Eighteen years ago, at two in the morning, my dad and I were walking along the dark deserted beach of Morjim. We had enlisted the help of Jonny—a local boy from … Continue reading
For high resolution images click on the images themselves Three species of crocodiles live in India; the Gharial, the Saltwater crocodile, and the Mugger. The Mugger or the Marsh water crocodile is the most widely distributed of the three and … Continue reading
Click on the pics to load them in high resolution Average length: 7-14 feet The Indian Rock python I’m called to rescue is usually guilty of entering chicken coups and swallowing our egg machines. Bigger ones will take larger animals … Continue reading
Click on the pic to load it in higher resolution. The first time I ever laid eyes on a Green keelback was was back in 1995. I was training to handle non-venomous snakes at the Pune snake park and the … Continue reading
for higher res images click on the pics themselves. Nature is at times frustratingly unpredictable. Consider the situation I found myself in one early morning at Cotigao wildlife sanctuary in Goa. I was out birding and had my head tilted … Continue reading