Günther's whip snake

Günther's whip snake
Günther's whip snake ( Ahaetulla dispar )
Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes) Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea) Family : Adders (Colubridae) Subfamily : True snakes (Colubrinae) Genre : Whip Snakes ( Ahaetulla ) Type : Günther's whip snake
Scientific name
Ahaetulla dispar
( Günther , 1864)

Günther's whip snake ( Ahaetulla dispar ) is a species of snake in the genus of the whip snake . Like all whip snakes, this species is also remarkably slim. It lives in a very small area in India and is classified as potentially endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) .

Habitat and way of life

The snake lives in the moist, high and cool areas of the Western Ghats , a mountain range in the west of India, probably at altitudes of about 600 to 2000 meters. There it is mainly in the lianas of the trees; During the rainy season, they can also be found in the grass or bushes during the day. Günther's whip snake is quite common in its range and feeds on lizards, frogs and other snakes. The ovoviviparous (viviparous) adder has 4 to 11 young per litter.

Danger

The species' habitat is limited to 14,000 km ² . Outside of protected areas, it suffers from steady decline as agriculture continues to expand. The snake is not traded but is killed by locals. Nevertheless, it occurs frequently in the entire area and is therefore also assessed as “potentially endangered”, but almost as “endangered”. There are currently no discussions or actions regarding the conservation of this whip snake. The IUCN suggests that the species continue to observe in order to find out more about their biology, their population and how it has changed.

supporting documents

1. ↑ Ahaetulla dispar in The Reptile Database
2. ↑ Ahaetulla dispar in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2013. Posted by: Srinivasulu, C., Srinivasulu, B., Achyuthan, NS & Mohapatra, P., 2013. Accessed August 22, 2020th