The Snake on the Tree

Rat snakes, probabaly the most common snakes here in Kerala. But I never really got to photograph one well due to their shyness and speed. But just a day before school, this little rat snake decided to give me a treat.

I was walking to my neighbour's house when I spotted the snake on a mullberry tree. I thought these snakes were poor climbers, but well, I was proven wrong. The snake was happily resting on the tree, perhaps waiting for a bird or lizard to appear so it could grab and have a snack. Or maybe it was just watching the world from a different point of view.

The snake didn't slither away when I came close to shoot it. But it was very well aware of me, as it kept sticking its tongue out whenever I moved.

A beautiful snake indeed. I'd be glad if these snakes are around as they're harmless, and useful, as they help reduce the rat/rodent population in the area.

Dead Water Snakes

While walking along the mounds in the middle of the wet fields, I came across 2 dead snakes. Now I don't know how they were killed or who or what killed them. The first one, as shown below, was lying in the shallow water with its ventral side up.

I then took the snake up with a stick and placed it on the ground to try and identify it. All I can say is that it is a species of watersnake, maybe a keelback.

And after walking several minutes, I encountered another dead snake, this one too, in the water with its ventral side up.

I'm concluding that these snakes died probably due to humans or birds like herons killing and throwing them away. I did spot a live one but it immediately swam into the muddy water before I could grab a shot.

Snake in the Tank

This has occurred several times: A rat snake hunting for fish and frogs, gets caught in the net covering the fish tank (pond) outdoors. Many a times, the snake eventually dies of suffocation! However, this time, after much twisting and turning within the net, the snake managed to free itself and slithered straight into the water.

Here he is, peeking up from the water, checking if the coast is clear, to escape.



He tried many times to launch himself up and out of the water but the slippery tiles of the tank sent him back.



Finally, after much waiting and trying, he manages to escape from the tank, and slither away quick into the bushes.



Anyway, just letting you guys know that my exams are drawing near, and I might not be blogging for quite a while. But don't worry, I'll be back with those posts soon!

Heartless Humans

Sorry for not posting anything for quite a while! There was nothing much to post about either, until a few days earlier, when I found this dead snake on a rock along the road. It was a small snake, only about 20cm in length. The large eyes, and the white patches near its mouth parts tell that it is probably a juvenile rat snake or racer, but definitely not a venomous species. It had evidently been hit to death by humans, as there was a large wound on its neck.

So another snake had been killed, this one too a harmless one. I just don't get the people here! How could they be so heartless to kill such a harmless and innocent creature! Ugh! I buried the snake nearby and left feeling hopeless for these poor snakes, because the attitude of these local, illiterate people won't change.

Just Another Night Walk

I went for a small walk around my house at night hoping to spot some nocturnal creatures. I hadn't done any hunting for weeks. I came across a cute little tree frog on a really nice green fern.

While the amphibians and other nocturnal animals got up, several diurnal creatures had settled down to sleep, like this Changeable Lizard with a really, really long tail.

Shield-Tailed Snake

Yes, it's another snake. But this time, a live one! My dad brought home this weird-looking snake in a bottle from the same plot of land where we spotted the caecilians. As always, everyone thought it was a highly venomous species. But the problem was, I couldn't tell if it was venomous or not, for I was seeing a snake like this for the first time!

You might probably be thinking that the raised end of the snake is its head. That's what I thought as well. But I was wrong! After having touched the snake with a twig, it started slithering 'backwards'. That was when I noticed a tiny white tongue appear from its 'tail'. At that moment I knew this was a form of defense- the blunt tail appeared to be the head and the narrow head appeared as a tail! Here's a video of the snake. We might have frightened the snake, but don't worry, it was not harmed!

After doing some research, I figured it out that this was a species of Shield-Tailed Snake, a nocturnal, burrowing snake rarely encountered as it spends most of its life underground. They are non-venomous, so I went up close and took some shots, as I didn't have to fear about dying if I get bitten. A shot of the snake slithering out of the bottle.

The blunt tail. These tails are strong and built as a 'shield' to absorb attacks from predators, as they usually mistake the tail for the head. That's how they get their name- Shield-Tailed Snakes.

Close-up of the narrow head. It seemed like it was about time for the snake to shed its skin.

I had a hard time photographing this snake as it wouldn't always stay still. The flash always got reflected by the shiny skin as well. Hence I couldn't manage any shots I was completely satisfied with.

I got the snake into my aquarium and let it dig into the moist soil. As evening drew near, I got snake out and released it into ditch a few hundred metres away from my house. I was glad I got to see a snake I hadn't seen before, and not dead!

Why Kill a Harmless Flying Snake?

I had gone out of town for a while and when I returned, I was greeted with probably the worst thing I wanted to see- A DEAD SNAKE!!!! I looked into the bucket in which a neighbour placed the snake after killing it. Upon seeing it, I got into a fit of fury. I was mad angry at the neighbour, for what he killed was a HARMLESS and BEAUTIFUL FLYING TREE SNAKE!!!

It was such a gorgeous snake, with an incredible ability of gliding from tree to tree, hence called 'flying snake'. I had spotted and photographed a similar species in Singapore. But why the hell did it have to be killed? I questioned my neighbour sternly and he said that he had no idea what snake it was as he had never seen one like that before, and that the red spots that occurred along its body gave him the idea that it was venomous. He admitted trying to catch the snake into a tube, but failed, and therefore killed the snake, not wanting it to escape and possibly hurt anyone. Well, that's what everyone says here: 'I thought it was venomous so I killed it.' A perfect excuse, except that it brings no cure to the dead snakes.

I returned to the snake and took several photographs. It seemed more beautiful and elegant than the previous sub-species I spotted in Singapore. I think I'm right in identifying it as an Ornate Flying Tree Snake, as this species is known to be common in India. However, I never knew the species existed here. The first time it showed up proved to be its last.

Here's a shot of the flattened body, which I gently pressed down to observe and take a photograph. These snakes 'fly' be flattening their body, similar to the shape of a Frisbee, allowing them to glide through the air.

I took the poor snake and buried it in my backyard. I can't even recall how many dead snakes I've already buried in these yards.

Tiny Dead Snakes

My dad called me over to one of our plots of land, as there was some work going on and the workers had apparently spotted tiny snakes. And more. The word 'snake' got me excited and in a hurry I left to the spot. There were, these three tiny snakes (killed by the nasty workers, obviously), each of about 5mm in width and 10-12cm in length. I could not identify them as they were really small, probably hatchlings!

I noticed they had a tiny orange spot on their necks. What could they indicate? Baby cobras? That is one possibility, as the neighbouring villagers recently informed that mating cobras were sometimes seen in the plot of land. Whatever it was, I was pretty sad I couldn't photograph any live snakes.

But wait. There was more. Apart from these tiny snakes, the workers had also spotted and killed three long, slimy, 'worm-like' creatures, about 15mm in width and 30+cm in length. I didn't know what they were, so I took them home, investigated their body structure and facial organs, and came to a conclusion that they were caecilians - a group of legless amphibians, widely spread around the world but rarely encountered or studied due to their burrowing nature. However, I am not gonna post any pictures of the dead caecilians as the images look rather.... ugly. Yes. Apparently the workers (who have got ZERO contextual knowledge and believe ANYTHING they hear in their childhood) instantly and brutally killed them as they were sure that these caecilians were highly venomous snakes that could kill a person within minutes. Well, I had a good laugh at their story.

P.S. Don't worry, a live caecilian is coming right up!

Russell's Viper

It was a Friday evening and I was relaxing in front of the TV when all of a sudden, a neighbour burst in, telling me his dad caught a Russell's Viper. My eyes opened wide. Something I'd been wanting to see for quite a while. I got my camera and in a hurry left to his house with him. On the way, I recalled that a few years ago, I had been in a similar situation, when my grandad told me another neighbour had caught one of these snakes. But it had turned out to be a Checkered Keelback. However, this time, it was a real Russell's Viper!

My fingers went over the shutter button a number of times. Finally, I was staring at a wild Russell's Viper, a highly venomous snake (one of the 4 most dangerous snakes in India) that I'd been wanting to spot and photograph for years. It was rather long, about a metre in length. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), this snake was almost dead as my neighbour had whacked it several times with a metal pole. Well, it's not surprising, as the people here kill almost any snake they see, like I said in the Spectacled Cobra post.

Here's a close-up of it's V-shaped head and big nostrils.

This snake is known to kill more people than any other snake in India- hence being one of the most feared. The other 3 most dangerous snakes of India are the Spectacled Cobra, Common Krait and Saw-Scaled Viper. These are commonly known as the Big 4. Russell's Vipers are especially dangerous as they prefer to reside in human habitation and settlements, to forests. Its venom is haemotoxic, which prevents blood clotting and results in internal bleeding. A bite from this snake could prove fatal unless treated properly and in time. It is a really beautiful snake, but at the same time, a very dangerous one.

By the time I was done with my shots, it was completely dead. I carried it by hand to a spot where I dug a big ditch and buried it. Rest in Peace, the only Russell's Viper I've ever seen.

CAUTION: Snakes like these are, like I've already said a couple of times, highly venomous and dangerous. I handled this one only after making sure it was dead. Please NEVER attempt to handle, provoke or go near such snakes. Always keep a a good distance when photographing them. And remember, respect them, and they'll respect you.

Kent Ridge Park

I took it out to Kent Ridge Park one day, a nature park well-known in Singapore for it's canopy walk. Unlike the treetop walk in MacRitchie Nature Reserve, the canopy walk covers a much longer distance, and is not positioned as high. It is a much more accessible and age-friendly walk, and gives a splendid feel of walking through the trees.

I spotted a Paradise Tree Snake just a few seconds after taking the above photograph. The snake was slithering beneath the path, trying to escape from my sight.

I spotted it a few minutes later as it climbed up the leaves of a tree, but failed to capture any good shots as I forgot to adjust the ISO and shutter speed. But well, I don't have much to lose; this snake is common throughout Singapore, and I've spotted one before.

I left Kent Ridge after spending three hours trekking through various paths.

Unlucky Cobra

Word spread around the area one morning that a Spectacled Cobra had been sighted and killed by one of the locals in our neighbourhood. Surprisingly, I was one of the last few to know. My driver came up to me and told me about it, and I immediately set off to see the snake. I prayed they hadn't buried it yet, and, thankfully, they hadn't. There, lying in front of me, was the biggest Spectacled Cobra I had ever seen.

Its a pity I couldn't see or photograph it alive. Its the first one I ever got the chance to photograph, and it was a dead one. Apparently the old man of the house came out of the back door at midnight to see the cobra slithering around the working area. He immediately grabbed a stick and beat it to death. Well, that's what everyone here would do; they care more about the safety of their family than that of the constantly perishing species.

Here's a close up shot of the 'spectacle', which is present on the back of the hood.

What everyone who came to see the snake was, "It's long, it's big". Fair enough, this snake measured a good 6 feet! You don't usually see cobras that long here. This is the first time such a long snake was being spotted, and, well, killed. I got a full-body shot, and left. RIP the only cobra I've ever photographed.

A Colourful Little Gecko

I was searching for scorpions in my front yard one afternoon and as I lifted a rather large rock, this little gecko hopped out from below, scurrying through the leaf litter, trying to get away.

I just love the colours of this lizard. Black body, pale purplish head with a creamy stripe from each side that joins and extends till its abdomen, and an orange tail that could easily be mistaken for a part of the jackfruit.

I love this next shot where the gecko's looking at the camera, with only the head in focus.

Left it there and I continued my search for scorpions.

Another Juvenile Banded Racer

It's a snake this time- another juvenile of the Banded Racer, a common snake of rural and sub-urban areas in India. This one was spotted by me as I heading to the back of my house. I saw that something seemed to be moving across the gravel and when I looked, there it was, a small snake that seemed really familiar. It immediately slithered into a pile of stacked brick-tiles.

I had photographed another juvenile Banded Racer in my visit to India about a year and a half ago. So I wasn't too excited upon seeing this fellow. However, I did, ensure I took a few shots, although most of them turned out quite dull. Here's one after a quick retouch. The snake's slithering along the side of the wall.

I released the snake soon after.

A Skink that got Stuck

Found this pretty red-tailed skink scurrying beneath a door mat, trying to get out. This isn't the more common Dussemier's Litter Skink.

I helped it out soon after.

A Terrapin's Visit

I woke up one morning and walked down to the gate to get the newspaper. But I didn't walk back into my home with the newspaper alone - in my other hand I held this medium-sized terrapin.

Where did it come from, why it came here, and how!?! I had no idea. There was a possibility that it crawled all the way from the river, but why would it do that? And I have no idea why he chose our house to visit. Anyway, I took a few shots of him and kept him for the day. He was a shy guest as he hesitated to show himself when we went over to 'serve' him.

Here's a close-up shot as he retreats into his carapace.

That evening, I left to the river with him along and released him. He jumped in as soon as he sensed water.