Dudhwa Tiger Reserve

A Rainbow Water Snake was recently spotted for the first time in Uttar Pradesh, with photographic evidence collected from the buffer area of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

About Dudhwa Tiger Reserve

It is located on the Indo-Nepal border in the district of Lakhimpur-Kheri in Uttar Pradesh.

It was established in 1988 and covers an area of 1,284 sq.km.

It includes the Dudhwa National Park and two nearby sanctuaries, viz. Kishanpur and Katerniaghat, besides forest areas of North Kheri, South Kheri, and Shahjahanpur forest divisions in its buffer.

Topography: It is a typical Tarai-Bhabar habitat of the upper Gangetic plains biogeographic province.

Rivers: The Sharda River flows by the Kishanpur WL Sanctuary, the Geruwa River flows through the Katerniaghat WL Sanctuary, and the Suheli and Mohana streams flow in the Dudhwa National Park, all of which are tributaries of the mighty Ghagra River.

Vegetation: The vegetation is of the North Indian Moist Deciduous type, containing some of the finest examples of Sal forests in India.

Flora: It consists of Sal Forest along with its associate tree species like Terminalia alata (Asna), Lagerstroemia parviflora (Asidha), Adina cordifolia (Haldu), Mitragyna parviflora (Faldu), Gmelina arborea (Gahmhar), Holoptelea intgrifolia (Kanju), etc.

Fauna:

The main mammals spotted here are Tiger, leopard, Swamp deer, Rhinoceros, chital, hog deer, barking deer, Sambhar, wild boar, and Ratel.

There are about 400 species of birds in the park, such as the Florican and black-necked storks.

Key Facts about Rainbow Water Snake

It is a slightly venomous, fish-eating water snake.

Scientific Name: Enhydris enhydris

Distribution: It is found in southeastern China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, central and eastern India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore , Sri Lanka, PulaBangka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Habitat: It inhabits freshwater habitats, including marshlands, rural ponds, and rice paddies.

Features:

It grows as long as 130 cm

This snake is easily identified by the two pale stripes running down the full length of the body and tail on either side of the vertebral line: these two stripes converge on the crown.

The body is medium brown to greenish brown, and the head and neck are generally more olive-coloured than the body

The belly is pale, with a thin brown line running down the middle.

Conservation Status:

IUCN Red List: Least Concern