IYB 2010 MARCH - 8-14:
THEME FOR WEEK-2(Mar 8-14): REPTILE BIODIVERSITY OF SIKKIM

Reptiles are an ancient group of cold blooded scaly animals with impressive ancestors like the giant Dinosaurs and Veloci-raptors in the movie ‘Jurassic Park’.  Turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes and crocodiles are all reptiles which today are all quite small and usually harmless/non-poisonous.  Many like snakes help rid us of rodent menace in our fields and homesteads. Some people worship Cobras but others also kill them out of fear and ignorance.  Reptiles don’t need us; we in fact, need their silent services for our survival.

1.  Sal Forest Tortoise or Elongated Tortoise Indotestudo elongata is an endangered reptile of Sal forests, much persecuted outside Sikkim limits.  This little fellow was rescued and displayed in Baguwa Forest Nursery, South Sikkim, but unfortunately lost it to some vandals -photo by Usha Lachungpa.  Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD

2. Variegated Mountain Lizard Japalura variegata common in Sikkim is like a miniature dragon and usually feeds on small insects like grasshoppers–photographed at Tinkitam, South Sikkim by Ganden Lachungpa. Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD

3.  Sikkim Grass Lizard Takydromus sikkimensis has been confirmed to exist in the Singtam area of Tista Valley, an area of scientific interest usually bypassed by researchers for more exotic destinations -photo by Basundhara Chettri. Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD

4.  Asian Glass Lizard Ophisaurus gracilis is a beautiful electric-blue patterned legless lizard. It has eyelids like other lizards and eats small insects, worms and slugs and gets its name from its habit of quickly shedding its tail when in danger and hence thought to be ‘brittle’ like glass -photographed in Forest Colony, Gangtok by Usha Lachungpa. Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD

5.  Guenther's Oriental Slender Snake or Rose-belly Worm-eating Snake Trachischium guentheri is not poisonous and a favourite prey of the Blue Whistling Thrush or ‘Kalchura’ especially when it has to feed its ever-hungry chicks -photo by Usha Lachungpa. Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD

6.   Common Bronzeback Tree Snake Dendrelaphis tristis is a harmless tree-snake which hunts for small lizards and tree-frogs. This amazing unusual fight which the Calotes lizard won was witnessed by many at Pipley, West Sikkim and fortuitously captured on cell phone by Bishnu Kumar Sharma of the Forest Dept. Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD

7.  Sikkim False Wolf Snake Dinodon gammiei:  This beautiful non-poisonous snake with rather large teeth (‘Dino’ ‘don’) was recorded from Toong, Tsungthang and Khedum (2300m), North Sikkimand photographed by Basundhara Chettri. Issued by Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, FEWMD