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Indian egg-eating snake

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Indian egg-eating snake
Indian egg-eater at Amravati
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Elachistodon
Reinhardt, 1863
Species:
E. westermanni
Binomial name
Elachistodon westermanni
Reinhardt, 1863
Synonyms[3]
  • Elachistodon westermanni
    Reinhardt, 1863
  • Boiga westermanni
    — Mohan et al., 2018
  • Elachistodon westermanni
    — Patel & Vyas, 2019

The Indian egg-eating snake or Indian egg-eater (Elachistodon westermanni) is a rare species of egg-eating snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It is also called Westermann's snake, reflecting its scientific name.[1] The snake belongs to the monotypic genus Elachistodon.[3]

Etymology

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The specific name, westermanni, is in honor of Dutch zoologist Geraldus Frederick Westermann (1807–1890).[4]

Geographic range

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The Indian egg-eating snake is found in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Recent discoveries of the species come from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.[5][6][7][8][9]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of E. westermanni are forest and shrubland, at altitudes of 40–1,000 m (130–3,280 ft).[1]

Description

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E. westermanni is glossy brown to black, with bluish white flecks posteriorly and a middorsal creamy stripe from neck to tail tip. The head is brown with a black arrow mark. The ventrals are white with brown dots. Adults may attain a total length of 78 cm (31 inches), with a tail 11 cm (4+1⁄4 inches) long.[10]

Behaviour

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The Indian egg-eating snake is a diurnal[1] or nocturnal, terrestrial species that shows remarkable dexterity in scaling vegetation. When provoked, it raises the anterior portion of the body, forming S-shaped coils as a defensive strategy.[9]

Diet

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E. westermanni exclusively feeds on bird eggs that lack embryonic growth. It has special adaptations such as vertebral hypapophyses, projections of the cervical vertebrae, that jut into the oesophagus, are enamel-capped, and help in cracking eggs.[10] The only other snakes that share these egg-eating adaptations are in the genus Dasypeltis found in Africa.[11]

Reproduction

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E. westermanni is oviparous.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Srinivasulu, C.; Srinivasulu, B.; Vyas, R.; Thakur, S.; Mohapatra, P.; Giri, V. (2013). "Elachistodon westermanni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T7091A3136878. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T7091A3136878.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c Boiga westermanni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 13 April 2017.
  4. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Elachistodon westermanni, p. 282).
  5. ^ Mahesh Bilaskar, Santhanankrishnan Babu, Honnavali N. Kumara & Harif Parengal (2018). "First record of the Indian Egg-eater, Elachistodon westermanni REINHARDT, 1863, from Karnataka, India. https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/HER_31_1_2_0108-0110.pdf
  6. ^ Captain A, Tillack F, Gumprecht A, Dandge P (2005). "First record of Elachistodon westermanni Reinhardt 1863 (Serpentes, Colubridae, Colubrinae) from Maharashtra State, India". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 12 (2): 156–158.
  7. ^ Nande R, Deshmukh S (2007). "Snakes of Amravati district including Melghat, Maharashtra, with important records of the Indian egg-eater, montane trinket snake and Indian Smooth Snake" (PDF). Zoos' Print Journal. 22 (12): 2920–2924. doi:10.11609/jott.zpj.1653.2920-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  8. ^ Sharma V (2014). "On the distribution of Elachistodon westermanni Reinhardt, 1863 (Serpentes, Colubridae)". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 21 (3): 161–165.
  9. ^ a b Visvanathan A (2015). "Natural history notes on Elachistodon westermanni Reinhardt, 1863". Hamadryad. 37 (1–2): 132–136.
  10. ^ a b Boulenger GA (1896). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume III., Containing the Colubridæ (Opisthoglyphæ and Proteroglyphæ) ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiv + 727 pp. + Plates I-XXV. (Subfamily Elachistodontinæ, p. 263; Genus Elachistodon, p. 263; species E. westermanni, p. 264).
  11. ^ Gans, Carl; Oshima, Masamitsu (1952). "Adaptations for egg eating in the snake Elaphe climacophora (Boie)". American Museum Novitates (1571): 1–16. hdl:2246/3997.
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Further reading

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  • Boulenger GA (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Genus Elachistodon, pp. 362–363; E. westermanni, p. 363).
  • Günther ACLG (1864). The Reptiles of British India. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Elachistodon westermanni, Appendix [p. 444]).
  • Reinhardt [JT] (1863). "En ny Slægt af Slangenfamilien Rachiodontidæ ". Oversigt over det Kongelige danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Forhandlinger 1863: 198–210. (Elachistodon, new genus, p. 206; E. westermanni, new species, pp. 206–210 + Figures 1–7). (in Danish and Latin).
  • Sharma RC (2003). Handbook: Indian Snakes. Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India. 292 pp. ISBN 978-8181711694.
  • Smith MA (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III.—Serpentes. London: Secretary of State for India. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 583 pp. (Genus Elachistodon, p. 404; E. westermanni, pp. 404–405, Figure 132).
  • Wall F (1913). "A rare Snake Elachistodon westermanni from the Jalpaiguri District". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 22 : 400–401.
  • Whitaker R, Captain A (2008). Snakes of India: The Field Guide. Chennai: Draco Books. 495 pp. ISBN 978-8190187305.
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