Scales & Tails

I was really excited and looking forward to the workshop on reptiles and amphibians at Nature’s Nest in Mollem, Goa, between June 24 and 26, 2017. It was my opportunity to meet renowned herpetologist Varad Giri.

- Vikram Eric D’Silva

The workshop had been initiated by Pankaj Lad, who is well-known for recording bird sounds. Also at the workshop were Ramesh Zharmekar, a local at Nature’s Nest with extensive knowledge about the herpetofauna of the region; Niranjan Sant, a passionate wildlife photographer; his daughter who is pursuing her graduate studies in Marine Conservation in the U.S.A.; Benhail Antao, a young snake and crocodile conservationist and Sangamitra, who helps with animal rescues.

NATURE’S BOUNTY

After breakfast and an introductory session, we set off on a nature trail near Nature’s Nest. Almost immediately, we spotted a monitor lizard on top of a coconut tree. We also saw a female forest Calotes and later a garden lizard. Giri explained how all lizards in the family Agamidae have spikes on their neck but the spikes vary according to species. The male Calotes, he added, has an organ at the base of its tail making it look fatter than that of the female.

In the afternoon we enjoyed an informative session on amphibian identification. However, the day was by no means over. At 5:30 p.m., we set off for Tambdi Surla, where we were to release a rescued baby python. As darkness took over, the whole forest filled with frog calls. Giri helped us identify them based on the calls – Bombay bush frog, cricket frog Fejervarya sp., and Ramanella. It was not long before we saw a Malabar pit viper that was possibly waiting for its first meal of the night, a sleeping green vine snake and a Prashad’s gecko.