Snake Diversity and Conservation Inside Coffee Forests (INeedCoffee.com)

Snake Diversity and Conservation Inside Coffee Forests

STRIPED KEEL BACK: Amphiesma stolata

This snake has two distinct yellow stripes along the side of the body. It grows to an average length of one foot. The over all color is light or dark brown with two tan or yellow stripes running down the body length.

HABITAT: Banks of streams, near ponds & lakes, rice fields, thick grass and dense bushes.

DIET: Frogs, toads, lizards & rodents.

OLIVACEOUS KEEL BACK WATER SNAKE: Atretium schistosum

GREEN KEEL BACK: Macropisthodon plumbicolor

CHECKERED KEEL BACK WATER SNAKE: Xenochropis piscator

HABITAT: Water bodies

DIET: small frogs, insects

FALSE COBRA

This snake belongs to the keel back family. Its appearance is like that of a cobra. Instead of a spectacled or monocled mark like that in a real cobra, the false cobra has an inverted chevron on its hood.

HABITAT: Dense forests.

DIET: Frogs, insects.

Egg layers. Females are larger than males

COMMON INDIAN KRAIT: Bungarus caeruleus

This snake in particular is considered as one of the most poisonous snakes inside coffee plantations. Its head is slightly wider than the neck; body is jet black above with distinct white cross lines, belly is white. The snake varies in length from three feet up to five feet.

HABITAT: It is often observed on the floor of the coffee forest where thick weed growth occurs. It also inhabits low scrub jungles and newly cultivated coffee farms.

DIET: Lizards, rodents

VENOM: The venom is 15 times more toxic than that of a cobra and acts both as neurotoxin and haemotoxin, paralyzing the respiratory centre.

Egg layers. Males are larger than Females.

BANDED KRAIT: Bungarus fasciatus

This snake is alternately banded with broad canary-yellow and black bands, completely encircling the body. It grows to an average length of five feet.

HABITAT: Termite mounds

DIET: Rodents.

VENOM: The venom is less toxic than that of a cobra.

BOAS: Whitaker’s Boa : Eryx whitakeri

COMMON SAND BOA : Gongylophis conicus

The average size of boas varies from 50-75 cm. The common sand boa exhibits a yellowish – white color forming an uneven chain down the back. Where as the color of the red sand boa varies from reddish brown and speckled grey or yellow to black.

HABITAT: Rat burrows and termite mounds.

DIET: Rats, small snakes, birds, large insects.

PREY: Both the red and common sand Boa kill their prey by constriction.

Nocturnal, live bearers. Females larger than males

BLACK HEADED SNAKE:

These snakes have a dark black colored head. They are small, slender and are active both during the day and night. They are also referred to as the “many –toothed “snake because of the numerous teeth in the upper jaw.

HABITAT: floor of the forest.

DIET: insects, small snakes and frogs.

Egg layers.

VIPER:

These snakes are categorized as RUSSELL’S Viper & PIT vipers.

Russell’s viper is commonly observed inside coffee forests. It is brown with deep elliptical patches that run in three rows. They are active both during the day and night...

MALABAR PIT VIPER: Trimeresurus malabaricus

The snake has a triangular head and bears a typical white arrow mark on a brown back ground. The body is grayish brown with a series of pale marks forming a curve over the body. These pale spots numbering from 25-31 are edged with dark spots all over the body.

HUMP NOSED PIT VIPER: Hypnale hypnale

The snake has a flat triangular head distinctly broader than neck. The color is pale grey with tiny brown or black specks.

BAMBOO PIT VIPER: Trimeresurus gramineus

This snake has a beautiful grayish green coloration. The head is triangular in shape with three yellowish white longitudinal lines on the body. one vertical and two lateral. Eyes with a golden iris and a black vertical pupil. It is a rare snake and it prefers bamboo vegetation.

HABITAT: Dense jungles, coffee bush.

DIET: Rodents, small snakes, birds, frogs.

Live bearers. Males are larger than Females in case of Russell’s viper. Females larger in saw scaled vipers.

SIMPLE MEASURES RELATED TO SNAKE CONSERVATION:

Avoid purchasing products made from snake skin.
Celebrate snake festivals with snakes depicted on stone tablets.
Snake charmers should be banned.
School children should be sensitized about snake conservation at a young age. ( Knocking out the fear of snakes from their system )
Banning snakes as pets inside homes.
Educating the general public about snakes
Depicting snake posters in schools, colleges and Government Institutions showing poisonous and nonpoisonous species of snakes.

VENOMOUS SNAKES VS NON VENOMOUS SNAKES

Based on the type of snake bite, snakes can be identified as poisonous and non poisonous.
A semi circular row of punctures is a clear indication that the bite is from a non venomous snake.
If the wound has two bleeding points it is a bite caused by a poisonous snake.

FIRST AID

Immobilize the bitten part by tying a tourniquet.
The tourniquet should be tied only on single bones like thigh, upper arm, lower arm or elbow.
The tourniquet should not be tied for more than 45 minutes.
The tourniquet should be slackened every 7 minutes for 30 seconds to prevent the blood supply from being cut off.
The patient should be rushed to the near by hospital along with the snake.

CONCLUSION

The coffee forest is home to important and endangered wild life and different snake species. Some snakes are equally at home both on the floor of the coffee forest as well as on the tree canopy. Great changes have taken place in coffee farming over the last one decade. Although yields have increased, due to modern day practices, farmers and the coffee mountain ecology have had to pay the price for keeping up with this development. Tree cover is being thinned out at an alarming rate and the amount of biomass on the floor of the forest has dwindled.

The undergrowth of the forest floor is a key factor in sheltering numerous snake species. Habitat destruction due to felling of coffee forests has resulted in a series of environmental changes. The forest has lost its precious ground cover and biomass accumulation because of the felling of trees. The direct consequence has been the significant increase in both ground and atmospheric temperatures which has altered the life style of snakes. How they cope up with this change is yet to be seen? Unfortunately, not all of the answers will come today. It may take years of research just to understand the basic needs of these reptiles.

Globalization is catching fast in shade grown Indian coffee farms. Coffee farms are increasingly becoming dump yards of various complex pesticides, Chemicals and fertilizers.

Around two decades back the lists of chemicals available were few and also restricted. But today globalization is bringing in a new set of dangerous chemicals which not only toxic but non bio degradable is resulting in the death of hundreds of reptiles. Mass applications of pesticides and chemicals have strong selective effects on the populations of predators and prey.

Snake skin trade by smugglers too is affecting the snake population.

If humans are not sensitive to the needs of reptiles, then we will have to face the prospect of living in a world without snakes. If we let the snakes disappear, it is a sure sign that we are ready to let all wilderness go. This in turn will likely one day make the world unfit for both men and snakes. Ultimately, man has to realize that the world’s food chains are a product of the plants, animals and reptiles in the habitat, as well as their arrangement in a number of ecological niches. We need to adopt practices that are more environmentally sound and that have the potential to contribute to the long term sustainability of coffee farms.

REFERENCES

Eco-Friendly Indian Coffee: A Profile

Invisible Communications in Coffee Plantations

Coffee Plantations A Multidisciplinary Approach

Global Warming in Coffee Plantations

Biodiversity In Relation To Coffee Plantations

Coffee Forest Symbiosis

Significance of Microbial Interactions Within Coffee Plantations

Role of Antibiotics in Coffee Plantation Ecology

The Ecodynamic Coffee Cube 3

www.agr.gc.ca/policy/environment/biodiv_e.phtml

www.indiawildliferesorts.com

www.iucnredlist.org/info/tables/table1

www.birdlifeforums.org

www.iucnredlist.org/info/stats

www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests_conservation/index.cfm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Snakes

www.uga.edu/srel/snake-2.htm

Archie Carr & the editors of Life. 1963. The Reptiles. Life Nature Library.

P.J. Deoras. 1965. Snakes of India. National Book Trust. India.

Chapman. J.L. & M.J. Reiss.1997. Ecology. Principles and applications. Cambridge University Press.

Peter Farb & the editors of Life. 1963. Ecology. Life Nature Library.

Mohanty-Hejmadi. P., S.K. Dutta and D.R. Rath.2002. Reptiles of India with special emphasis on their conservation. In BIODIVERSITY. (Monitoring, Management, Conservation & Enhancement). Editors.

Ramamurthi Rallapalli & Geetha Bali. APH Publishing Corporation. New Delhi.

Daniel, J.C.2002. The book of Indian reptiles and Amphibians. Bombay Natural History Society. Oxford University Press, Mumbai. 238 pp.

Das, I. 2002. A photographic Guide to the snakes and other reptiles of India. New Holland Publishers (U.K.) Ltd. 144pp.

Ernst C. and Zug, G. 1996. Snakes in question. Smithsonian Institution. 203 pp.

Whitaker, R.1978. Common Indian snakes. : A Field Guide. Macmillan India Ltd. 154 pp.

De Silva, A. 1990. A color guide to the snakes of Sri Lanka. R & A Publishing. U.K. 130 PP.

Whitaker, R. & Ashok Captain.2004. Snakes of India. The Field Guide. Draco Books. India.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Dinesh has spent a lifetime in snake conservation. We extend our grateful thanks to Dinesh for helping us in the identification of various snake species. DINESH KUMAR K. P. PUTHIAPURA HOUSE, ADKATHBAIL, KASARGOAD.

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4

Tags: shade grown snake

Sections

Shop

Contribute

Search

Subscribe

Friends of
INeedCoffee