A specimen of an albino striped narrow headed snake (Xylophis perroteti) was collected from the Nilgiris forest division and brought to the Government Arts College (GAC) in Udhagamandalam on Thursday.
Assistant Professor at the department of wildlife biology in the GAC in Udhagamandalam B. Ramakrishnan said that the snake, endemic to the Southern Western Ghats, usually occupies Shola-grassland mosaic ecosystems above 1,000 meters above sea level. “This is quite a unique record for the species, and we believe this is the first time that albinism has been recorded in the species,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan.
Members of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT) had been called to a village in the Nilgiris forest division to rescue the snake when rescuers found the reptile and brought it to the department for further analysis. Mr. Ramakrishnan said that the record could point to a severance of habitat contiguity for the species. “Whenever we see albinism in wildlife, like in the case of a melanistic tiger spotted a few years ago, or of Indian gaurs recorded recently, it could point to a lot of underlying factors. For instance, a lack of habitat contiguity could be leading to in-breeding which manifests in albinism in certain cases,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan, adding that there needs to be further research on the species and its habitat. “Understanding the habitats and behavior of endemic species like the striped narrow headed snake could point the way to safeguarding key wildlife habitats and landscapes in the Western Ghats,” he added.
Bhosale Sachin Thukkaram, District Forest Officer (Nilgiris division), said that the snake was released back into the wild after photographs of the reptile were taken for records.
