This is a guest post by Vineet Panchbhaiyye who joined us (among other tours) on our Goa photography tour in August 2013.
While we were on a nature trail one evening in Goa, Nirmal Kulkarni (eminent herpetologist and our nature expert on the tour) got a call from his research assistant asking us to hurry to a particular place. When we got there, we witnessed this amazing moment – a Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) gulping down a Shieldtail (possibly a Large-scaled Shieldtail Uropeltis macrolepis).
Green Vine Snake feeding on Shieldtail – By Vineet Panchbhaiyye
Shieldtails are burrowing snakes that have a shield at the end of the tail. This shield is used to block the entrance of their burrow and gives them the extra protection. May be this Shieldtail was out of its burrow that fateful evening. And given that Green Vine Snakes are primarily diurnal (active in the day), the Shieldtail really seemed to have run into some serious bad turn of luck.
When disturbed during feeding (or just after they’ve fed), snakes are known to regurgitate their prey and flee. So, we maintained good distance from the action and took only one photograph each before leaving the Green Vine Snake alone to finish off its hard-earned dinner.
What an awe-inspiring wildlife moment!
Darter Photography conducts various Rainforest Rendezvous tours to the Western Ghats, including Agumbe, Amboli and Goa. In addition to learning the secrets of rainforest and macro photography, these tours are co-led by researchers and local experts who unravel the secrets of nature.