Canter’s Black-headed Snake is endemic to south Asia and occurs in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and probably parts of Bangladesh. In India, this non-venomous snake is restricted to parts of north India. It is not a common snake to come across in Corbett Tiger Reserve. This may possibly be due to the fact that this small diurnal snake, growing to a length of 11 inches, forages on the forest floor in the leaf litter and is rarely seen in open spaces. It preys upon insects, small snakes, skinks and frogs.
Snakes are of great importance to humans as they occupy an important niche in the food chain. Being predatory, snakes control the populations of numerous insects, rodents and other creatures that cause a huge damage to the agricultural yield and food grains in the storage facilities. In nature, they help maintain a healthy balance in the food chain pyramid. Unfortunately, snakes are not tolerated by humans and a large number of snakes are killed due to lack of knowledge and phobia about snakes. As people cannot distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes, almost every snake encountered is killed. In reality, majority of snakes occurring in the country are non-venomous and again a majority of venomous snakes carry too little venom to cause human fatalities. Another major threat to their existence is the ever increasing road network in their habitat. Snakes cannot move swiftly on smooth hot-mix roads and are often killed by speeding vehicles.
This beautiful Cantor’s Black-headed Snake was found at Jim’s Jungle Retreat by our Chief Naturalist Manoj Sharma who has only seen the species twice in last 26 years in the area.
Rare Cantor’s Black-headed Snake
