Reptiles are a diverse group of cold-blooded vertebrates that include snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians. Characterized by their scaly skin, which helps prevent water loss, reptiles are primarily ectothermic, relying on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature. They exhibit a wide range of reproductive strategies, including laying eggs (oviparous) and giving live birth (viviparous). Reptiles are found in a variety of habitats, from deserts to rainforests, and play crucial roles in their ecosystems as both predators and prey. They have adapted to various environments through specialized features such as venom in some snakes and the ability to shed and regenerate tails in many lizards.
Reptiles of India
India boasts a rich diversity of reptilian fauna, with over 700 species of reptiles (https://www.indianreptiles.org/species-list ) recorded in the country. This includes a wide variety of snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles. Among the most notable are the Indian cobra (Naja naja), known for its hood and potent venom, and the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), a critically endangered crocodilian with a long, narrow snout adapted for catching fish. India is also home to several species of geckos, skinks, and monitor lizards, such as the Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis). The country’s varied climates and ecosystems, from the Thar Desert to the Western Ghats and the Sundarbans mangroves, provide ideal habitats for these reptiles. Conservation efforts are critical in India to protect its unique reptilian diversity, particularly for endangered species facing threats from habitat loss and human activities.
Kanha Tiger Reserve, situated in the Highlands of Central India, is renowned as one of Asia’s best-managed parks. While the reserve is celebrated for its diverse mammalian and avian fauna, relatively less is known about its reptilian diversity. The tropical and moist climate of Kanha provides an ideal habitat for reptiles. In 2004, a team from the Zoological Survey of India, comprising Kailash Chand, R.C. Sharma, Ajay Nagpure, and D.K. Nema, conducted a comprehensive survey of reptiles in Kanha. This survey documented a total of 39 species of reptiles in the reserve, including snakes, tortoises, turtles, lizards, and geckos.
Snakes of Kanha: Order Squamata
Snakes possess an elongated, tubular, elastic, and agile body covered with overlapping scales and chitinous shields. The body scales of snakes vary in shape, being oval, rhomboidal, or sub-triangular, and often feature keels, pits, and sutures. The tail of a snake can be small, moderate, or long, and its shape differs according to habitat: cylindrical in land snakes, prehensile in arboreal snakes, and flat in marine snakes. Their eyelids are fused into a transparent spectacle, primarily formed by the lower eyelid, which covers the eyes. The pupils of snakes exhibit strong variations, adapting to their environments: round in terrestrial species, horizontal or vertically elliptical in arboreal species, and rudimentary in fossorial species. Snakes lack a tympanum or external ears. Their long, narrow, forked tongue retracts into a basal sheath, and their olfactory organ is directly connected to the posterior olfactory lobe of the brain. The bones of a snake’s skull are highly flexible and ligamentous. The teeth vary among species:
Aglyphous: Teeth lack grooves for venom) in non-poisonous snakes,
Opisthoglyphous: The teeth feature an enlarged pair at the back of the maxillae that are typically angled backward and grooved to direct venom into the puncture.
Proteroglyphous: The shortened maxillae have few teeth, except for a significantly enlarged fang that acts as a hollow needle for injecting venom.
Solenoglyphous: With nub-like maxillae each holding a single hollow fang that points backward, the mouth opens wide to swing the fang into position for deep venom injection.
Snake teeth are sharp, set in grooves on the inner sides of the jaws, recurved, and periodically replaced. Snakes have a significantly reduced left lung, a widely spread right lung, two male hemipenes, and lack a urinary bladder, with the cloaca serving this function.
In Kanha, twenty species of snakes have been reported, six of which are highly venomous and responsible for snakebite fatalities. Among the most common venomous snakes in Kanha are the Krait, Cobra, Russell’s Viper, and Saw-scaled Viper.
List of Snakes reported from Kanha Tiger Reserve
- Common Worm or Blind Snake
- Indian Rock Python
- Common Vine Snake
- Stiped Keelback
- Olivaceous Keelback Water Snake
- Banded Racer
- Common Indian Bronze-back
- Common Trinket Snake
- Copperhead Trinket Snake
- Common Wolf Snake
- Green Keelback
- Rat Snake
- Cantor’s Black-headed Snake
- Checkered Keelback
- Common Indian Krait
- Spectacled Cobra
- Black Cobra
- Saw-scaled Viper
- Green or Bamboo-pit Viper
- Russell’s Viper
Turtles of Kanha: Order Testudines
Order Testudines, commonly known as turtles and tortoises, is a distinctive group of reptiles characterized by their bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs, which acts as a shield. This order includes both terrestrial and aquatic species, with a wide range of sizes and habitats. Turtles are adapted to various environments, from freshwater and marine ecosystems to deserts and forests. Their shells consist of two parts: the carapace (upper shell) and the plastron (lower shell), connected by a bony bridge. Testudines are unique among reptiles for their anapsid skull, lacking temporal openings. Their limbs are modified for their lifestyle; for instance, marine turtles have flippers for swimming, while terrestrial tortoises have sturdy, elephantine legs for walking. They are primarily herbivorous, although some species are omnivorous or carnivorous. Testudines exhibit a range of reproductive strategies, often laying eggs on land, with temperature-dependent sex determination being common. Many species are long-lived and have slow growth rates, making them vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities.
Three species of freshwater turtles are reported from Kanha, and they inhabit several ponds and other water bodies within the reserve.
List of Turtles reported from Kanha Tiger Reserve:
- Black Turtle or Indian Snail-eating Turtle (Melanochelys trijuga tirjuga)
- North Indian Flap-shell Turtle (Lissemys punctata punctata)
- Indian Soft-shell Turtle (Trionyx gangeticus)
Geckos of Kanha: Order Squamata (Family Gekkonidae)
Family Gekkonidae in the order Squamata, represents a diverse group of reptiles known for their remarkable adaptability and unique physical traits. Geckos are small to medium-sized lizards characterized by their distinctive vocalizations, sticky toe pads, and nocturnal habits. Their toe pads are equipped with millions of tiny hair-like structures called setae, allowing them to adhere to various surfaces, including glass and ceilings, with remarkable ease. Geckos exhibit a wide range of colors and patterns, often enabling them to blend into their surroundings as a form of camouflage. They are primarily insectivorous, feeding on insects and other small invertebrates. Geckos possess a unique ability to regenerate lost tails, an important survival adaptation. These lizards are found in diverse habitats across the world, from tropical rainforests to arid deserts.
Seven species of geckos are found in Kanha, with some being quite common and even found in households, while others are rare and require thorough searching to locate.
List of Geckos reported from Kanha Tiger Reserve:
- South Indian Rock-Gecko (Cyrtodactylus collegalensis)
- Clouded Ground Gecko (Cyrtodactylus nebulosus)
- Spotted House Gecko (Helnidactylus brooki)
- Yellow-Bellied House Gecko (Helnidactylus flaviviridis)
- Square spotted Gecko (Hemidactylus gracilis)
- Bark Gecko (Hemidactylus leschenaulti)
- Rock Gecko (Henlidactylus maculatus)
Lizards and Skink of Kanha: Order Squamata (Family Agamidae)
Family Agamidae comprises a diverse group of reptiles found across Africa, Asia, Australia, and southern Europe. These lizards are known for their well-developed limbs, strong jaws, and often vibrant coloration, which can serve as camouflage or play a role in social signaling and mating displays. Agamids exhibit a variety of ecological adaptations, inhabiting environments ranging from deserts and grasslands to forests and urban areas. Many species are also adept climbers, often found basking on rocks or trees. Their reproductive strategies typically involve laying eggs, with some species displaying complex behaviors related to territory and courtship.
Five species of skink, three species of lizards and one monitor lizard is reported from Kanha Tiger reserve.
List of Lizards reported from Kanha Tiger Reserve:
- Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor)
- B!anford’s Rock Agama (Psamnlophilus blanfordallus)
- Fan Throated Lizard (Sitana ponticerialla)
- Dotted Garden Skink (Riopa pUllctata)
- Brown Dwarf Skink (Riopa albopunctata)
- Common Keeled Grass Skink or Brahminy Skink (Mabuya carinata)
- Bronze Grass Skink or Little Skink (Mabuya IIlacularia)
- Leschenault’s Snake-eye (Cabrita lesclzenaulti)
- Common Indian Monitor (Varanus bengalensis)
Conservation of Reptiles
The Kanha is known for its conservation of biodiversity and its status as a protected tiger habitat indirectly benefits the reptiles, as the stringent conservation measures implemented for tiger protection—such as anti-poaching patrols, habitat preservation, and ecological monitoring—also safeguard the broader ecosystem. This holistic approach ensures that the diverse habitats within Kanha, from dense forests to open grasslands, remain intact and conducive to reptilian life. Additionally, the presence of large prey populations necessary for sustaining tigers also supports a healthy food web, benefiting carnivorous reptiles. Conservation efforts in Kanha Tiger Reserve thus contribute significantly to maintaining biodiversity and protecting vulnerable reptile species from threats such as habitat loss, illegal hunting, and environmental degradation.
