An ornate flying snake that was found alive inside a car near Coimbatore on Monday possibly had an unheard-of journey.
The elusive snake, which is capable of gliding from one tree to another, landed inside the car through its open sunroof as the vehicle passed through the ghat section of Anaikatti - Coimbatore road on Sunday.
The passengers resumed their journey to the city, some 20 km away from the place, as they could not find the snake even after checking the car thoroughly.
However, the snake was spotted again inside the car on Monday, following which the owner took the vehicle to a service showroom.
“The snake was found under the seat of the car. It was rescued with care and later handed over to the Forest Department,” said snake rescuer K. Rathish Kumar.
According to him, ornate flying snakes ( Chrysopelea ornata) are capable of gliding from one tree to another. The snake is suspected to have fallen inside the car through the sunroof after missing a glide.
“The incident happened near Mangarai of the Anaikatti ghat section, which is an ideal habitat for the snake. As flying snakes move through trees, it is not very easy to spot them”, he said.
Coimbatore Forest Range officer Arun Kumar said the field staff took the snake back to the same location near Mangarai and released it into the wild.
Mr. Rathish Kumar said the rescued snake was about 2.5 feet long. The species grow more than 3 feet. Its diet consists of lizards, small birds and rodents, he added.
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