-
Guias
-
Snakes Of Peninsular India
- Wood Snakes
Description
2
INTRODUCTION
- Non Venomous
- Very rarely seen due to restricted range, size & their fossorial lives.
- Only 4 species of Xylophis are known so far. All being endemic to the Western Ghats.
- Xylophis are the only snakes of the family Pareidae found outside SE Asia.
IDENTIFICATION
-
Small snakes with smooth, glossy scales.
- Have small eyes and usually has a distinct long scale between eyes & nasal.
- Often confused with Shieldtail snakes due to similar size, appearance & habitat.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
- Found only in the hill forests of Western Ghats.
- Each species is known to be found in a few hill ranges only.
- Spend most of life underground & under wooden logs with moisture.
DIET AND BEHAVIOR
- Feed on Earthworms, insect larvae and caecilians.
- Very little studied about these snakes.
SPECIES OF XYLOPHIS
- Captain's Wood Snake (Xylophis captaini)
- Perrotet's Mountain Snake (Xylophis perroteti)
- Gunther's Mountain Snake (Xylophis stenorynchus)
- Anamalai Wood Snake (Xylophis mosaicus)
Fontes e Créditos
- (c) Vinay Gogula, todos os direitos reservados, uploaded by Vinay Gogula
- (c) Vinay Gogula, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)
Mais informações