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Canon EOS 1000D, EFS - 55to250mm
Aperture priority - 5.6
SS - 1/750
Ev - 0
WB - Daylight
ISO - 200
Focal length - 250mm
Had seen 3 of these young snakes...which came out of the grasses in our college Lawn..to warm up in Sunlight...rest of the two were moving around when i could get this snake alone standing still.
This is definitely not a krait. Kraits are distinct and can be distinguished well from other snakes.
This snake should either be striped keelback (most likely) or bronzebacked tree snake. Both are non-venemous and are fairly easily seen near habitations.
This is a Buff Striped Keelback. It is non venomous. These are pretty docile snakes and are often found during the rains.
I like the sharpness here. A bit more space on the left to give room to the body would have been nice. Thanks for sharing.
Yes this is Buff Striped Keelback (Amphiesma stolatum) a non-venomous colubrid snake, They are not aggressive .
The Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus) can be easily identified and they are highly nocturnal.
Hi Bhibav,
Which field guide are you using ? Never seen the name buff striped keelback.
regards.
Hi, Laxminarayan.
I don't actually have any field guide for identifying snakes, but I did work for a brief period in the field of snake rescue in Bhubaneswar. My identification is based on the knowledge gained there only, so can't confirm with proof :). But, I have seen it mentioned as Buff Striped Keelback in many places as well as Striped Keelback. The zoological name is Amphiesma stolatum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiesma_stolatum
The low angle and the eye contact is nice. The pano composition looks good. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Laxminarayanan,
Yes as you said no field guide mentions the name Buff Striped keelback, They mention as striped keelback.
But when we handle the snake it usually buffs (enlarges ) its neck region .That is the reason it is commonly called buff striped keelback.
As a snake rescuer in bangalore i rescue atleast 2-4 buff striped keelback snakes in a month.
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3885
Regards,
Akshay
Lovely shot. Nice composition. The diffused BG looks lovely. TFS
Lakshminarayanan: The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians (JC Daniel), which I use for herps in general, calls this snake the Buff Striped Keelback. Most other snake guides including the one by Romulus Whitaker call it the Striped Keelback.
Thank you all for the interesting discussion on its ID...
Thanks Bibhav, Akshay and Abishek, for your information.
Akshay / Bibhav, it is good to note that you both are engaged in rescue of snakes from cities. One of the much required conservation gesture. A commoner is generally intolerant of snakes and tend to kill them on sight.
I agree that rescuing a snake is good. Infact, during my childhood days, I have killed all kinds of terrestrial snakes, with the exception of Python and King Cobra. These snakes used to enter our house, and if at that point of time anyone had the knowledge of snake handling skills, then we could have taken them out of the house and released it outside. Also, you guys can impart some valuable conservation message to people.
Unfortunately, these days photographers have taken to learning snake handling skills solely to hold a snake by the tail and thrust a camera on its face. Infact, there is a tendency to catch any snake that is visible, just for the sake of bravado and photography. That should be avoided.
Sabyasachi
This is absolutely true and this should be discouraged. I have seen such acts being done, and to be honest, I used to do this in my early days as well. Now I know better...Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabyasachi Patra