India Reference Libraries
The Chital Deer, Axis axis, is a species of deer that is commonly found in the wooded regions of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and most of India. It is the most common species of deer in Indian forests. Other common names given to this species are the Spotted Deer, and the Axis Deer. Its coat is reddish fawn, marked with white spots, and it's under parts are white. Its antlers, which it sheds...
The Green Vine Snake, Ahaetulla nasuta, is a slender tree snake found all over India except for very arid zones of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This snake is diurnal and only mildly venomous. It is bright green or pale brown. Adults grow to about 5 feet long. The green vine snake feeds on frogs and lizards. It is a slow moving snake and relies on its...
Mahseers are large-scaled carp of the family Cyprinidae, prized game fish generally found in India and southern Asia. They were originally described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, and first mentioned as an angling challenge by the Oriental Sporting Magazine in 1833, soon becoming a favorite quarry of British anglers living in India. The Golden Mahseer has been known to reach 9 ft in...
The Indian Flap-shelled Turtle, Lissemys punctata, is a species of turtle found in South Asia. They are widespread and not uncommon. Its range includes Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, and Burma (Irrawaddy and Salween rivers). It has been introduced to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also found in the desert ponds of Rajasthan where hundreds are killed every year during...
The Banded Krait, Bungarus fasciatus, is a venomous snake found in India and Southeast Asia. It occurs in the whole of the Indo-Chinese sub-region, the Malaysian peninsula and archipelago of Southern China. It has been recorded from northeast India through Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and southern China to Malaysia and the main Indonesian islands of Borneo (Java and Sumatra), as...
The Common Krait, Bungarus caeruleus, is a type of krait that is found in the jungles of the Indian sub-continent. It is highly venomous and is one of the four most venomous snakes in India. The body colour varies from a dark steely blue-black to a pale faded bluish grey. The average length is 40 inches. It has large hexagonal scales running down its spine. The white cross bands are more...
The Indian Earth Snake, Uropeltis pulneyensis, is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats of India. Typically it is found in the Palni and Travancore hills at elevations of 5000 to 7000 feet. The male grows to about 12 inches long, where as the female is generally smaller at only 6 - 8 inches long.
Phipson's Shieldtail, Uropeltis phipsonii, is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats of India. The species is named after H. M. Phipson, one of the founders of the Bombay Natural History Society. Endemic to India, this snake has been reported at several places around Maharastra including hills around Mumbai and Pune. It is cylindrical bodied, smooth-scaled, with the head narrow then...
The Salty Earth Snake, Rhinophis sanguineus, is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats of India. The snake is found in mountainous areas typically over 3500 feet in elevation. The body is bluish-black with a bright red belly and mottled black. The male averages about 13 inches long while the female is slightly smaller at 10 inches in length.
The Gharial, Gavialis gangeticus, is one of two surviving members of the family Gavialidae. The Gharial (also known as gavial) is found in small numbers in India and other small populations in the Kaladan and Ayeyarwady River basins in Myanmar. Most gharials are adapted to calmer areas in deep fast moving rivers. They rarely leave the water and do so only to bask in the sun or nest on sandbanks...
