SHILLONG, May 31: In a rare development, a Mandarin rat snake was sighted in a video clip which showed the distinguished creature crawling on the rocky slopes.
The video, which has been doing rounds of late, was also forwarded to Dr Uttam Saikia and Bhaskar Saikia of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Shillong, by sources as well as Forest department officials.
ZSI scientists disclosed that the clip showed a non-venomous and uncommon snake called Mandarin rat snake, Euprepiophis mandarinus, which was also confirmed by Dr Abhijit Das, a snake expert from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
The footage was reportedly shot by one Charming Star Kharpran at Wah-A near Sohryngkham in East Khasi Hills recently.
Dr Saikia maintained that despite significant amount of surveys and explorations, Mandarin Rat Snake has never been reported to be sighted from Meghalaya.
Distributed in Eastern part of China and some South East Asian countries, this snake was also occasionally reported to have been seen in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and recently report from Champhai district of Mizoram, while the present locality in East Khasi Hills constitutes the westernmost distribution point of this snake species.
Interestingly, a secretive snake, which is known to be active only during dusk and dawn, was observed in the broad daylight.
The snake was reportedly well over five feet long, which the scientists feel is significant for a snake that is not known to attain such length.
It may alos be mentioned that the beautiful Mandarin Rat Snake with distinctive oval yellow patches and black borders is popular for pet trade.
