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Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India pp 311–330Cite as

Ophidians of Rajasthan

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Abstract

The chapter briefly presents diversity and distribution of the Ophidiofauna of Rajasthan in various ecological regions. Out of a total of 275 snake species occurring in India, 34 species belonging to six families, namely, Typhlopidae, Pythonidae, Boidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, and Viperidae have been reported from Rajasthan. Of them, only six species are venomous, seven are mildly venomous, and 21 species are of the nonvenomous variety. IUCN categorizes eight snakes as Low Risk Least Concern (LR-LC), another 22 as Low Risk but considered Near Threatened (LR-NT), and one species as Vulnerable (VU). Common serpent taxa like Brahminy Worm Snake, Common Sand Boa, Red Sand Boa, Indian Rat Snake, Common Wolf Snake and three venomous species, namely, Common Krait, Spectacled Cobra, and Saw-scaled Viper are widespread in the state of Rajasthan. Keoladeo National Park (KNP), Bharatpur is an excellent site to observe the Indian Rock-Python. Conservation threats such as increase in agricultural and urban areas and killing of snakes out of fear and recommendations for their protection have also been discussed along with the myths about snakes. No distribution mapping and proper taxonomical studies of the snake species found in the state have been done so far in the recent past.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

    Chhaya Bhatnagar & Meenakshi Mathur

  2. Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Rajasthan, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

    Satish Kumar Sharma

  3. Department of Zoology, R.L. Saharia Government P.G. College, Kaladera (Jaipur), Rajasthan, India

    B. K. Sharma

Authors
  1. Chhaya Bhatnagar
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  2. Satish Kumar Sharma
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  3. Meenakshi Mathur
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  4. B. K. Sharma
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chhaya Bhatnagar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RL Saharia Govt. PG College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

    B.K. Sharma

  2. Department of Zoology, Government Shakambhar PG College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

    Seema Kulshreshtha

  3. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    Asad R. Rahmani

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Bhatnagar, C., Sharma, S.K., Mathur, M., Sharma, B.K. (2013). Ophidians of Rajasthan. In: Sharma, B., Kulshreshtha, S., Rahmani, A. (eds) Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0800-0_10

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