Rare snake specie 'Red-Banded Racer' spotted in Indore

Rare snake specie 'Red-Banded Racer' spotted in Indore

Sight of the Racer is a hope for this rare Red-Banded Racer specie’s existence in the state.

Tina KhatriUpdated: Wednesday, June 03, 2020, 10:43 PM IST
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Red banded racer spotted near Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Arts and Commerce College, Bhawarkua | PINTU NAMDEV

Indore: Year 2020 has shocked and surprised us in ways we never imagined starting from coronavirus, lockdown and cyclones. Nature has taken the lead and leading the way, a rarely seen snake species , Banded Racer, has made its way into the city exciting the forest department along with residents.

Spotted near Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Arts and Commerce College, Bhawarkua, the Banded Racer is rarely seen in most of peninsular India, and it mainly lives in drier areas around city outskirts and agricultural fields.

Adults of Banded Racer looks very similar to Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja) due to reddish-brown colour and almost similar scales even on a closer look. The one spotted in Indore probably after ages was a juvenile.

Identifying the snake, district forest officer (DFO) Indore TS Suliya said, “The Banded Racer (Argyrogena fasciolata) is a species of colubrid snake, the genus Argyrogena.” Generally, these Racers are seen in shades of brown across the country, but the Red-Banded Racer is a rare sight.

“Banded Racers are very alert and fast snakes and have a preference for high grass or bushes. Generally, they occupy rodent burrows, rock piles and heavy brush,” Suliya said.

Sharing the current status, assistant principal chief conservator of forest Subharanjan Sen expert of snakes in the state, said that the population of Banded Racers is getting reduced because of severe over-grazing and clearing of vegetation.

“It is rare to find that Red Banded Racer is coming out in Indore, because we generally have to look for snakes in deep jungles,” Sen said.

He shared that in general, Ptyas mucosa - commonly known as Indian rat snake or Shaman - is seen in Indore. “Out of all the species of snakes Xenochrophis piscator and Ptyas mucosa are the most common snake followed by Amphiesma stolata and Oligodon arnensis,” Sen said.

Sight of the Racer is a hope for this rare Red-Banded Racer specie’s existence in the state.

Some interesting observations & necessity for snake population

· Banded Racer Argyrogena fasciolata is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake.

· The sighting of the juvenile (<300mm total length) implies the breeding season of this species in the region to be around January.

· If snakes became extinct, the prey population that snakes feed on would grow, and the predators that feed on snakes may die out. These effects would ripple through the ecosystem and cause considerable damage.

· Like all animals in the web of life, snakes play an important role in our ecosystem by maintaining a balance to the food web. Because snakes are both predator and prey, they keep the pest population down by feeding on mice and other small rodents that damage crops and carry disease.

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