Volume : VIII, Issue : VI, June - 2019

Captive Behaviour Study Of Big Four Indian Snakes

Sagayaraj K

Abstract :

Background : Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and on smaller land masses, while sea snakes are widespread through the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Most species are nonvenomous, and the venomous types use it primarily to kill and subdue prey rather than for self–defence. Some possess venom potent enough to cause painful injuries or death to humans. Nonvenomous snakes either swallow their prey while it’s alive or kill by constriction. Venomous snakes occur throughout many regions of the world and are a threat to public health, especially in the rural tropics where they are most abundant. Out of more than 3000 species of snakes in the world, some 600 are venomous and over 200 are considered to be medically important. In India, the snakes considered as the most common venomous snakes are the Spectacled Coa (Naja naja), Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii) and Saw–scaled Viper (Echis carinatus). They are often referred to as the ‘Big Four’. Aim : Captive study is the easiest way to get some baseline information on this cryptic species behavioural ecology as well as to increase life history data such as mating time and behaviour, nesting details, clutch size, incubation time. Observation study on different animals draws out the important and characteristic of that species in both captive and wild so these kind of behavioural studies are important in terms of conservation and protection of all species. The main aim of this study is to observe and draw an ethogram of the ex–situ behavioural pattern of the big four Indian snakes over a course of three months (Oct 2015 to Dec 2015). This study was conducted to contribute to the existing literature on behaviour of Big Four Indian Snakes. Result : Based on the direct observation method a behavioural ethogram comprising six parameters and sixteen behavioural events were studied. Diet analysis was also done to investigate healthy digestion and growth rate of the species.

Keywords :

Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijsr  

Cite This Article:

CAPTIVE BEHAVIOUR STUDY OF BIG FOUR INDIAN SNAKES, Sagayaraj K INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH : Volume-8 | Issue-6 | June-2019

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