VINE SNAKE

A group of researchers has discovered a tenth species of the vine snake of genus Ahaetulla after a gap of more than a century.

• Before this discovery, there were nine species of vine snakes reported from the country.
• The Ahaetulla laudankia, the newly-discovered snake, was first spotted by researchers in Simlipal Biosphere Reserve near Lulung in Odisha.
• According to researchers, Odisha is home to three species: the common Indian vine snake, variable-coloured vine snake and the third being the recently-named Laudankia vine snake.
• It has ochre brown dorsal body with an orange-red belly.
• Ahaetulla laudankia, known as the Laudankia vine snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae.
• It is endemic to India and while being a rare species, it has a relatively large range, extending from the Eastern Ghats through Central India west to eastern Rajasthan.
• Its name derives from the Odia term laudanka, which translates to “dried stems of bottle gourd, as the snake closely resembles them with its thin body and brownish color.

Source: The Hindu

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