In Kutch, a forest officer finds a snake species last seen 150 years ago

On September 6, a young forest officer named Jayesh Dumadiya came across a snake species that had not been seen in Kutch for over 150 years. The officer, recently transferred from Panchmahals in Eastern Gujarat, was patrolling near Kala Dungar, the highest point in the region. While returning from his patrol, Dumadiya saw a snake slithering on the road in front of his vehicle. Intrigued, he took photos and video of the snake and sent them to experts for identification.

The snake, identified as an Afro-Asian sand snake (Psammophis schokari), is a fast, slender reptile that inhabits arid habitats stretching from Gujarat to coastal West Africa. The last confirmed sighting of the species in Kutch was recorded by the Czech palaeontologist Ferdinand Stoliczka in 1872. Stoliczka, a Moravian palaeontologist, geologist, herpetologist, and ornithologist, was part of the Geological Survey of India and traveled extensively across the subcontinent, Burma, Malaya, the Himalayas, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Afro-Asian sand snake is different from the common sand snake or sand boa, being a semi-venomous species that hunts small animals like lizards, rodents, and small birds during the day. It is usually not harmful to humans. Dumadiya's discovery is significant, as it validates a recording made more than a century and a half ago. The snake's presence in Kutch, a vast and biodiverse area with unexplored aspects, suggests that the region is home to a rich biodiversity that requires protection and study.