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IND Press: The beautiful snake up close

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Posted by: W von Papineäu at Wed Sep 3 20:21:17 2008  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by W von Papineäu ]  
   

THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 29 August 08 The beautiful snake from up close (Pramod Mellegatti)
Shimoga: The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) at Agumbe in Tirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district, which is engaged in scientific study of King Cobras, has monitored eight nests in the wild and collected vital scientific data.
The King Cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world. It is also the only snake that builds a nest to lay eggs. Once the mating season comes to an end by end of April, the female King Cobra begins to look for an appropriate location to build its nest.
It then collects leaf litter around the area and builds a nest. The size of the nest is around two feet in height and six feet in diameter.
After laying 25 to 30 eggs, the female King Cobra stays close to the nest in guard. Just before the hatchlings emerge, the female leaves them to fend for themselves marking the beginning of their long journey.
According to Gowri Shankar, an environmentalist and founder-member of the ARRS, a team from the ARRS was informed on May 24 about a King Cobra building a nest at Kokodu near Megaravalli when its radio telemetry trackers were tracking a male King Cobra.
The ARRS team was also informed about yet another female King Cobra building a nest at a farmland owned by Chandrappa near Halli Bidaragodu. He was initially hesitant to inform about it thinking that the team might capture the cobra.
When convinced about the aims of the ARRS of protecting and studying the magnificent cobra, he offered his cooperation with its activities.
Mr. Gowri Shankar told The Hindu that the ARRS team started collecting data at both the nests by fixing information recording devices.
He said that after collecting the basic data about the location and size of the nest, the team inserted the Hobo Thermometer close to the egg chamber of the nest while another temperature chamber was left outside.
Then temperature within the nest chamber and the ambient temperature (surrounding atmospheric temperature) were recorded. “It was amazing to learn that irrespective of the fluctuating ambient temperature the temperature in the nest remained constant at 23 degrees to 24 degrees,” he said and added that apart from temperature, humidity data was recorded in association with the local people.
Hatchlings usually emerge from the nests, after an incubation period of 90 to 110 days. On August 13, the team found hatchlings at the nest at Kokodu.
Similarly, hatchlings were seen moving around the nest at Halli Bidaragodu on August 14.
The nests were dismantled in the presence of the forest officials and 23 hatchlings from Kokodu and 11 hatchlings from Halli Bidaragodu were collected for further data recording such as weighing and measuring before they were released back into the wild away from human habitation.
Mr. Gowri Shankar says that the ARRS initiates, promotes and supports scientific research activities motivating students and researchers to take up all aspects of ecology, biology and natural history of the King Cobras.
The ARRS has conducted study on 152 nesting sites and hatchlings of the King Cobra since its inception in 2005. It has also taken up Radio Telemetry Project as a collaborative effort with Forest Department and the University of Arizona.
The telemetry procedure was documented. Fifteen research volunteers from various parts were trained under the project.
Mr. Gowri Shankar, who has been instrumental in setting up the ARRS, has rescued 86 King Cobras in a radius of 60 km from his research station at Agumbe in the last three years.
The beautiful snake from up close


   

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