Common Bronzeback Tree Snake

Some one recently asked me if I had stopped posting on this blog (How could I!) and it is then that I realised that I had not posted here for quite sometime. So, as I was contemplating what to do about this blog post drought, the answer came slithering into our garden.
Aarina (wife) is sharp at locating snakes- she may miss a vulture, but I don't think a snake can escape her eyes. She loves snakes and has spent quite some time with a few of them. Today was one such day, when she pointed out this beautiful Bronzeback Tree Snake ( Dendrelaphis tristis), loitering (seemingly aimlessly) in our garden. Fast slender movements, interspersed with a graceful dance that reminded me of some disco moves of the 80's.
A non-venomous snake this bronzeback lives in trees and bushes. The snake feeds on frogs, lizards and baby birds and we spotted it quite effortlessly climb a vertical wall and then a tree.
The snake has a Latin name of 'tristis' which in Latin means  "sad" or "foul smelling"- I wonder why? The snake had cute (Bambi like?) eyes and  white underside. If you closely look at the eyes, you can spot a indistinct black streak too. The snake seemed quite unruffled by our presence and we had a pleasurable time watching his rare appearance.

Mugger Crocodile

A birding trip on Sunday on the Mapusa river in Goa had a surprise in store for us. Resting among the mangrove trees that line the Salim Ali Bird sanctuary, were two Mugger Crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris Latin for 'Crocodile of the marsh/ swamp). 

The name "mugger" is adapted from Hindi word magar, meaning crocodile- so the name basically means crocodile crocodile. 

These shy crocodiles are one of the three crocodiles that are found in India and because of their dwindling number they are classified as Vulnerable. 

Crocodiles are related to birds; as surprising as that may sound they shared a common ancestor 240 million years ago.   

The crocodiles were very well camouflaged and if not for our sharp eyed boatman/ guide we would have definitely not spotted these awe inspiring crocodiles.
Living on the banks of the gently flowing Mapusa river, the crocodile probably survives on a diet of fish and perhaps occasionally indulges on birds.

One of the classic way of differentiating a crocodile from an alligator is by looking at its teeth. In the above photograph, you can see the fourth tooth pointing upwards. When their jaws are shut, crocodiles flash some teeth that point upwards, unlike alligators.

So were crocodiles always part of Goa's ecosystem- perhaps yes, but there is an interesting story first narrated by the 16th Century chronicler Joao de Barros who swore that the crocodiles were introduced by 'Adil Shah of Bijapur, as a guard against surprise attacks and to prevents slaves from escaping'. Whatever be the case, the Portuguese themselves regularly sent prisoners of wars and condemned criminals as an a la carte item in the crocodiles otherwise sea-food diet.
Despite all the horrible history, the crocodiles did not appreciate our presence and a few minutes later they quickly scampered into the water.

Green Iguana

Iguana's are a family of large lizards with a spiny back, generally found in South America . The photograph is of a green Iguana; these reptiles are green during their younger days and lose colour as they grow older.
The spines on the back grow upto the tail and they use it as a defense mechanism by whipping the tail. The Iguana can make it's tail break off and grow a new one like many other lizards.
The loose skin that you see below the lower jaw is called a 'dewlap', it is similar to the loose skin on many other animals like Cow, Ox( Zebu) or dog (mastiff). It is of different use to different species from cooling, scaring predators to storing fat. For the iguana, it helps in regulating body temperature and also uses it for display during mating.

Yacare Caiman

As this species of Caimans (caimans are closely related to alligators and found in South America) grow so does their lower jaw; there may be some caimans whose lower jaw may pass right through the upper jaw and protrude on top of the snout.
This species is considered 'not threatened' by IUCN, because they are found in plentiful in few areas, but the fact is, such ranges are diminishing and soon they may be found in too few pockets before IUCN updates its list.
So people better watch out and don't use any crocodile skin items.

Oriental Garden Lizard

After posting birds for a long time, it was finally the chance of a reptile to strike poise. Spotted this Garden Lizard hunting insects in my garden. The reptile is incorrectly called as 'Bloodsucker' probably because of the red band it develops during breeding season.
In the first frame I tried to frame in the whole reptile and it has such a long tail that to get the entire reptile without compromising on the closeup was pretty tough.

Saltwater Crocodile

These Juvenile saltwater Crocodiles are one of the three species of Crocodiles, found in India. The other two being the Gharials and the mugger crocs. The most interesting fact about crocodiles is that the Crocodile embryos do not have sex chromosomes, and unlike humans sex is not determined genetically. Sex is determined by temperature, with males produced at around 31.6 degrees Celsius, and females produced at slightly lower and higher temperatures.
The second photograph is of the same Croc. but zoomed in to get a clearer photograph of the snout. These Crocs are the largest of all living reptiles.
Photographed at the Pilikula Biological Park- Mangalore