The Gazetteers Department

The typical setting of the district, its physiography and climate make the district an ideal spot for snake fauna. The district has been known to possess a number of snakes. Following are some of the snakes in the district: —

Poisonous—Cobra, coral snake. Russels viper, saw-scaled viper, common krait, banded krait, and pit vipers.

Non-poisonous—Wolf snake, painted bronze-back, banded-racer, rat-snakes, mandarin snake, trinket snake, sand-boa, python, rough-tailed snake, blind snake, bridal snake, checkered keel hack, whip-snake, etc.

Poisonous Snakes.—Cobra (Naja naja).—This snake is found all-over the district. This snake is either brown or blackish. In the latter case it is called " Domi ". This is the only snake that has a hood, which may have on the back side a binocoellate mark or there may be no mark at all. Behind the eyes it has three small scales, the third upper lip scale touching the eye and nostril, and there is a small triangular scale between the 4th and 5th lower lip scales.

Locally it is called "Naag" and the brown variety is often quoted to be seen as red. This is seen more during nights, and comes into habitations in search of its food, viz., rats and frogs. The fangs do not have a complete tunnel and the teeth being fixed cannot always give a good bite and a full dose of venom. The venom is neurotoxic and it requires 12 milligrams of a dose to make it lethal for a victim. The surest remedy is an anti-venin. The maximum length of the snake is 5'-6".

Coral snake (Callophis melanurus).—This snake is locally called "raat" or "lal-saanp." It is found in the Jalgaon-Jamod area of the district. It is brown above and pink below. The scales are speckled with brown, forming a series of longitudinal lines all along the body. The head and neck are black above with yellow spots. It does not grow beyond 2 feet and the poison is neurotoxic.

Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus).—It is locally called "karayat" or " manyar ". It is steel blue with single or double white lines across the body. The central row of dorsal scales are big and hexagonal. The scales beyond the vent to the tip of tail are complete. It is a very timid snake and mostly seen in crevices. The poison is neurotoxic and only 6 milligrams arc sufficient to make it a fatal dose. It breeds during rainy season by laying eggs Its maximum length, generally reaches 4 feet.

Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus).—This snake is found in the forest regions round Jalgaon. It is 5 feet long and yellow in colour with deep blue thick cross stripes all over the body. The tail is blunt. This snake feeds on the other snakes and people encourage the presence of this snake. Locally it is called " Satranjya ". It has hexagonal scales on the dorsal side.

Russels viper (Vipera russelli).—Locally it is called " Ghonas". This brown snake with three rows of elliptical deep brown spots, has a triangular head with tiny scales and hisses very persistently. Normally it remains coiled up in shade, keeping the head at the centre of the coils. When disturbed it throws the head forward, taking a lever like action from the coils. It is seen to strike from behind also. It grows to 5 feet in length and lays about 25 young ones at a time within a period of two days during June-July. The poison is vasotoxic and it causes swelling of the area too. The lethal dose of the venom of this snake is 15 milligrams only.

Saw Scales viper (Echis carinatus).—It is locally called " phufrat", or " Phoorsa". The snake is 18 inches long, has a triangular head with a faint grey arrow mark, and the body bears brownish reticulate cross patches. It moves by a side winding motion, due to which from the serrated scales at the sides emanates a hissing like sound. It feeds on insects, scorpions, lizards and young frogs. The breeding season is in July. The lethal dose of venom of this snake is 8 milligrams. The victim does not succumb to the bite, but starts bleeding from gums, nose, kidney after a lapse of 12 hours and death is due to secondary complications.

Pit-vipers (Trimerisurus gramineus).—This green snake, measuring two feet is found in forest area on trees. It has a triangular head which bears a pit near the nasal opening. The pit perceives heat and other chemo-receptive sensations. It is seen in areas with bamboo plantations.

Non-Poisonous.— Typhlops braminus.—This blind snake is found all over the district. It is small and thin not growing beyond 12 inches. Its body scales cover each other in an imbricate fashion. There is no distinction between the upper and lower body scales. The head is not distinguishable from the body and it bears two very tiny dark marks indicating the place, where the eyes would have been. It is often mistaken to be an earthworm. The only difference between the two is that the latter has no scales. The snake generally feeds on decaying matter and is found near gardens and human habitations.

Uropeltis macrolepis.—These rough-tailed snakes are purple-brown, with light margins to each scale, and yellowish stripe running along the sides up to the lips. The tail is blunt and ends in a rhomboidal pattern with sharp scales. Met with in hilly regions, the snake grows to 12 inches, has eyes, mandibular teeth, and moves about under vegetation feeding on worms, slugs, etc.

Python molnrus.—The python is found at many places in the district. It some times grows to about 18 feet in length and may weigh as much as 100 kg. The head is pinkish and bears a lancet shaped brown mark. The body is brown with ash and cream coloured variegated patterns. It is the biggest Indian snake that kills its prey by constriction. Locally it is called " Ajgar".

Eryx conicus.—Locally known as "Durkya Ghonas" this small 3 feet long snake is often mistaken to be the young one of a python. It lies half-buried in soil and has no lancet mark on the head. The colour pattern is different; it is more grey and brown and generally it lies coiled up with the head in the centre. There is another variety Eryx gohnis which is deep brown and has no colour patterns. It is very docile.

Elephe helena (Trinket snake.).—The snake is light or dark brown above with dark brown or dark cross bars containing white marks which are more conspicuous anteriorly, and is on the sides more or less black, a pattern which disappears gradually on the hinder part of the body. Its general colour is brown above with a broad dark stripe on each side, a black vertical streak below the eye, and an oblique one behind it.

Ptyas mucosus.—This snake is locally called "Dhaman" and often grows to about 10 feet in length. The colour is light yellow or brown and scales near and below the neck as well as in the hind region are edged with black borders. It has the peculiar habit of twining by its tail and tie a knot for pulling the prey. It also gives foul odour from the glands in the hind region. Many times it is seen climbing on trees and often comes inside human habitations in search of its prey, viz., frogs and rats.

Colouber Gracilis.—This snake is light greyish and brown above with indistinct narrow white cross bars at the sides. People call it " Mati-khaya ". It grows to about 93 cm in length and is very common in the district.

Liopeltis Calamaria.—This small snake growing to 40 cm is greenish above and has the scales usually edged with black showing a distinctly longitudinal line, the most conspicuous being on each side of the vertebral column. It is generally found at higher altitudes.

Coronella brachyura.—This is another variety of local "Mati-khaya " snake found in the district. It is olive brown with indistinct light variegations on the anterior half of body and head, with whitish lower parts. It grows to 50 cm in length and is 10 cm in diameter.

Oligodon Venustus.—This greyish brown wolf snake with irregular oval and rhomboidal paired blackish spots is known as "kawdya" and quite often met within gardens near houses. It is about 50 cm in length and feeds upon small mammals, lizards, and skinks.

Chry sopelia ornata.—This green snake is generally found near about forests. It is blackish with greenish yellow cross-markings on the body. The green colour deepens gradually with the passage of time. It feeds on geckoes, lizards, small mammals as well as birds. It crushes the prey in its coils and gulps. Growing to a length of 100 cm, it can climb perpendicular trees and jump in such a fashion so as to create an impression of a flight.

Lycodan flavomaculatus.—This is a true wolf snake that grows to 40 cm and is sometimes within residential quarters. It is also called "Kawdya" locally, and shows brown colour above with a network of white lines. Its lower side is white and the scales are edged with brown. A slightly bigger species Lycodon aulicus is also found in the district. This is greyish brown and has 12—19 white cross bars on the body which bifurcate laterally enclosing triangular patches. The upper lips are white spotted with brown.

Natri piscator.—This is the local "pan diwad", found near water accumulations. It grows to 90 cm in length. Its body is brown and has on it checker board type of markings. Its neck has lateral black stripes and two lines in black run in the direction of the eyes. It is essentially the snake of the plains and low altitudes. It generally feeds on fishes, frogs, etc.

Natrix stolata.—It is the most common snake in the district especially during the monsoon season. It is locally known as "Seeta-ki-lat" or Naneti. It is blue green with black spots intersected by two dorso lateral yellow or burl stripes. The hinder part of stripes has black spots. It is a very docile snake and does not grow beyond 50 cm.

Micropisthodon plumbicolor.—This grass green snake has V shaped marks on the neck, with a black stripe from eye to mouth and transverse black spots or cross bars on the back of the tail. The markings disappear with the passage of time. It is 48 to 50 cm long, and when provoked tries to erect its head like a cobra.

Boiga Triagonata.—The snake is light yellowish or greyish above and is speckled with darker vertebral series of large light black edged angularly shaped spots connected by a cross line. On its head there are light symmetrical markings sometimes edged with black. It has a light stripe from eye to the angle of the jaw. It is a very common snake growing to 30 cm and sometimes assumes an attitude of defiance by raising the head from the neck region. The stripes at the sides give the impression of a hood when it tries to flatten the neck.

Psammophis bithi.—The snake is light yellow above with 4 dark brown longitudinal stripes. The median pair is bordered with black spots and the stripe extends beyond the eyes. It has small median stripes on the head too. It grows to 80 cm and is often mistaken for Natrix stolala.

Dryophis nasutus.—It is called " harantol ". Its colour is parrot green and the head projects into a long snout. It remains hanging from tree branches with the head away from body coils. This slender snake growing to 152 cm is supposed to hypnotise anyone climbing a tree, where it lies motionless. Its food consists of birds, eggs and lizards.

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