party, but it made good its
escape by jumping to another
tree – a common behaviour of
this species. Soon afterwards,
another was spotted about four
metres up in the branches of a
small tree. This time, the
Irulas managed to capture the
slender little snake, which true
to its name had a bronze stripe
running down its back. It also
had beautiful pale blue flecks
along the flanks, which were
accentuated when it filled its
lung with air – very
reminiscent of some blue
variants of our own Common
Tree Snake (D. punctulatus)
here in Australia.
By now it was close to mid-
day; we had been walking in the
stifling heat for a couple of hours,
most of the water we were carrying
had been consumed, and we were
reminded of how far we had come
from the Croc Bank by the heat haze
in the distance. But just as we had
begun to swing around in an arc that
would take us back in the direction
we had come from, one of the Irulas
wandered up carrying a piece of
bark, on which reposed a tiny Saw-
scaled Viper (Echis carinatus)!
I have no idea how the Irula tribes-
man found the snake, as Saw-scaled
Vipers are crepuscular/nocturnal and
typically hide up during the day in
burrows or other cover – perhaps he
had found it under a rock, or even
the piece of bark he used to transport
it. However, this discovery was
particularly notable, as the
Saw-scaled Viper is the smallest of
the ‘big four’ that are responsible for
so many fatalities in India. This
diminutive specimen cannot have
been more than about 30cm in
length, but nevertheless the keeled
scales were obvious. It was an attrac-
tive red-brown in colour and was
quite content to sit for photos.The Saw-scaled Viper is found in
Central Asia and the Middle East.
Echis carinatus is a small snake but
varies considerably in size;
E. c. carinatus, the subspecies
present in southern India, rarely
exceeds more than 40cm in totallength, whereas E. c. sochureki, from
northern India, can grow much
larger. This species appears to be
highly adaptable, as it is found in a
range of habitats and will brumate in
northern parts of its range. Diet is
also varied, and consists of small
animals including scorpions and
large insects. The southern subspe-
cies is ovoviviparous; capable of
producing more than 20 live young.The large number of human enveno-
mations from Saw-scaled Vipers can
be attributed to a combination of
factors including the abundance of
this species in populated areas, its- Indian Rat Snake
or Dhaman. - Common Bronze-
back Tree Snake/ - This Saw-scaled
Viper cannot have been
more than about 30cm
in length.
Images by Arul. C. V. - Arul photographs
the viper (circled) from
a safe distance. Image
by John McGrath - One of our Irula
guides with trademark
crowbar. Image by
Arul. C. V.
‘The Irulas’ unique skills haveimportant new applications inthe modern world.’1.2.small and inconspicuous
nature, and the fact that it
typically possesses an aggres-
sive temperament. Honestly, if
you were working in your
garden, there is every chance
you would have completely
overlooked the little guy we
were photographing. Although
bites are often potentially
fatal, antivenom treatment is
very effective if administered
within the first few hours. The
venom can cause dangerous
haemorrhaging, and it is there-
fore perhaps not surprising
that it is used to manufacture
an anticoagulant.We continued our broad
sweep back to the Croc Bank,
but although we passed several likely- looking patches of bush, the Irulas
failed to detect any other wildlife of
note (it wasn’t for lack of trying).
Arul had been confident that they
would turn up some more snakes,
and was perhaps a little disap-
pointed. I figured four snake species
plus a couple of lizards wasn’t too
bad for a morning’s work! We
completed our circuit in the very
hottest part of the day; we had been
at it for close to four hours and were
in need of a cold drink or three.The younger generation of Irulas are
(understandably) likely to eschew
traditional practices in favour of
higher education, or moving to the
cities to chase a ‘company job’. It
would be a great pity if the Irulas’
unique snake catching skills, honed
over generations, were not passed
on. Particularly since they have been
demonstrated to have important new
applications in the modern world.4.5.3.