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New snake found in Western Ghats
What has happened?
Just 40 cm long and iridescent brown, Bhupathy’s shieldtail is the latest addition to the snake fauna of the Western Ghats.
Location
Bhupathy’s shieldtail has been observed only in the Anaikatty Hills of Tamil Nadu
Uropeltis bhupathyi
The snake, currently observed only in the forests of the Anaikatty hills in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district, has been named Uropeltis bhupathyi , after the late herpetologist S. Bhupathy, for his contributions to the field
Key features
- The reptile belongs to a family of snakes found only in peninsular India and Sri Lanka
- They are non-venomous, burrowing and mostly earthworm-eating, and are called shieldtails after the large, flat tips of their tails, which make them appear almost sliced off
Distinguishing feature
The new species had more than 200 scales
Shieldtail species in number
- The discovery takes the number of known species of shieldtails in India to 41
- The country is home to more than 300 snake species.
