The vine snake in Agumbe

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Agumbe in the rains is a sight to behold. It is in fact one of the wettest places on earth. I was lucky to be a part of a volunteer group from Bangalore to participate in their Rainforest restoration project at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station.  We had to plod through wet mud and leeches were only too happy to cling to us. As we neared the ARRS visiting center, we spotted him - A beautiful vine snake( Ahaetulla Nasuta) stretching his slender neck - ramrod straight ( full marks for good posture!) looking inquisitively into the distance while we gaped, and oohed and aahed and took pictures. 

Unless you take a closer look, the vine snake looks exactly like foliage - a slender tendril of a creeper perhaps. To top it all, he has a cute snout, and an almost swan like appearance when he stretches his head to look at us. His eyes look half-closed like some yogis'.He is very elegant and delicately constructed. And quite unforgettable :)

The Common vine snake is endemic to the Western ghats. It is an arboreal snake and can be found on shrubs and trees, cleverly camouflaged in the leaves, especially in the vivid greenery of the monsoons.

If you would like to read more about Agumbe Rainforest Research Station or the volunteer group that I went with, please read my article published in The Hindu supplement here



Location: Agumbe, Karnataka, India

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