A new species of wood snake-endemic to Tamil Nadu, has been named in honour of Indian herpetologist Deepak Veerappan.
- The species has been named as Xylophis deepaki. A research team has suggested the common name Deepak’s wood snake.
- It is a tiny snake of just 20 cm length with iridescent scales.
- The species first sighted in a coconut plantation in Kanyakumari, is now reported to be an endemic species of Tamil Nadu and has been sighted in a few locations in the southern part of the Western Ghats.
- Wood snakes are harmless, sub-fossorial and often found while digging soil in farms and under the logs in the Western Ghat forests.
- They feed on earthworms and possibly other invertebrates. Interestingly, their close relatives are found in northeast India and Southeast Asia and are known to be arboreal.
- The new find increases the total number of currently recognised wood snakes to five species.
(Source: The Hindu)
