A. S. Jadhav1*, R. K. Chittora2 and N. C. Upreti3
Abstract
Snakes are one of the widest spread vertebrates on the globe, mostly they prefer arid zone of the globe in terms of diversity. Collected data are based on reports from volunteers, snake friends and rescuers for the period of two years which is from 2018-2020 and 20 species of snakes reported from in and around Solapur district of Maharashtra, of that 6 species were venomous and 14 were semi-venomous and non-venomous from 6 families namely Elapidae, Viperidae, Colubridae, Natricidae, Erycidae and Sibynophiidae were found. Major five venomous species, i.e. Spectacled Cobra, Russellââ¬â¢s viper, Common Krait, Slender Coral Snake and Saw Scaled Viper were noticed. Occurrence of Albino spectacled cobra in the residential area of Solapur city away from main natural habitats was a remarkable finding of this study. Snake species named Indian Spectacled Cobra, Common Krait, Indian Rat snake, Checkered keel back, Common Sand Boa, Common trinket, Common wolf snake, Common Kukri found throughout year in all seasons whereas Russellââ¬â¢s Viper and Saw scaled viper mostly found during June to October as they are most active during this period and species named Indian Smooth Snake, Green Keel-back, Red Sand Boa, Green Vine Snake, Common cat snake found during monsoon season (June to September). The juvenile and young snakes also found during monsoon season. Need of snakeââ¬â¢s conservation to balance the ecosystem and to protect the food chain is a main challenge identified. Continuous monitoring on snake species diversity of the region is suggested.