Western Ghats throw up a new snake

Non-venomous aquatic species is endemic to habitat where human pressure is high

When new species of earthworms and frogs have been discovered from the Western Ghats this year, can their predators be far behind? Scientists have described a new species of non-venomous endemic snake, Aquatic Rhabdops, from the northern Western Ghats.

The three-foot-long nocturnal snake hunts for prey underwater, says a study published recently in Zootaxa, a journal that publishes new species descriptions. Interestingly, while adults of the Aquatic Rhabdops have off-white bellies and black spots on their olive brown skin, juveniles are olive =read more