After 129 years Assam Keelback snake rediscovered

The Keelback snake species Assam Keelback has been rediscovered in Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border after 129 years. It was first seen in 1891 when a British tea-planter Samuel Edward Peal collected two male specimens from upper Assam’s Sivasagar district.

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Key-Points

Scientific Name: Herpetoreas pealii.

It is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae.

The species is endemic to Northeast India. It has been recorded from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The species is small — about 60 cm long, brownish, with a patterned belly.

It was discovered 129 years ago in 1891 by Samuel Edward Peal, a British tea planter based in Upper Assam.

The discovery of the Assam Keelback from a slow-flowing stream inside a forest indicates the need to prioritize conservation of ‘special habitats’ to safeguard micro-habitat specialized species.