chayantgonsalves's Favorites

Rock Agama Fight , Hyderabad
Intrasexual competition between males for female mates is very common among different lizard species. Males spend most of their energy in fights over a female to establish dominance and/or to impress a female by demonstrating a high quality of fitness. In Egernia whitii, a type of skink found in southeastern Australia, larger males (strength and size correlating positively) have advantages over smaller males. Larger males are able to intimidate rivals with their size, ward off other males from a female and claim territory space. The losers of fights have an increased Stress rate and less breeding opportunities. Fighting among males illustrates to a female that he would be able to provide protection for her and her eggs.Males mostly use their weapons and become more aggressive only during the breeding season when they are competing over a female. Once the breeding season is over they rarely use their weapons. Some weapons used are spikes on the body and tail, teeth, and claws.In combat, an iguana lizard’s teeth are used as a weapon since their bite force can result in injury to other males; this leads the weaker male to flee from the fight and abort his chance of trying to mate. Bite-force performance predicts dominance in males. Male dominance correlates with a large territory size and access to females. Males with a stronger bite force sire more offspring in comparison to weaker biting rivals as well. In the collared lizard Crotaphytus collaris, males display their locomotive skills in order to attract a female by getting to territory and resources first. Faster males have energy to spend when it comes to obtaining food and territory.Faster males are protective of their female mate as opposed to slower males they also have a higher reproductive success then slower males because faster males mate with more females on a first come, first serve basis. In Australian agamid lizards coloration influences competitive success; the more intimidating a male is perceived based on his color, the more likely a weaker male would not want to compete with him for a chance to mate with a female.(wiki)

On Sunday (9-01-22) we spotted a sea snake on the shore during a waterfowl census conducted by Warblers and Waders from Veli to Perumatura.  It will be washed ashore in a big wave. 'Unable to go back to the sea, we left the sea snake in the sun.  Later, when we went home and talked to the snake experts, we found that the sea snake we saw was Graceful Small- headed Sea Snake- Hydrophis gracilis, which had not been reported in Kerala before. Thus, it was added as the seventh species of sea snake found in Kerala.  Experts also suggest that the baby snake is a sea snake.  It is astonishing that we are conserving natural biodiversity despite polluting and destroying the oceans.  Image shared here . Photograph and note by Sri Sushant, Warblers and Waders Thiruvananthapuram.

whole Photo series of Cannibalism in Common krai
Phone clicks
I was very lucky to document one of the rarest moment.
(Bungarus caeruleus)
Venomous
.
Here's the story behind this documentation, i got a call of 2 snakes fighting for around an hour just outside an entrance of a society. As i reached the spot i saw they were Common kraits and the larger one was trying to feed on the another krait who was on moult. Krait feeding on several snakes has been reported many times but this type of cannibalism is happens quite rare and i was lucky enough to witness one. Here's the whole photo series of cannibalism in common krait. And soon later the snake was rescued and was bagged safely so that it won't vomit (regurgitate), while releasing the snake I was happy to see that the snake didn't regurgitate.

It is found in the mountains of southern Western Ghats south of Palakkad Gap, in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a high-elevation specialist, not normally recorded anywhere below 1200 m asl. Precise records are from Nelliyampathy, Munnar, Anaimalai, Palni hills, Meghamalai, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Agasthyamalai and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. At elevations of 1200-2695 m asl. The type locality is listed as "Anamalai hills (Tamil Nadu State, southwestern India)”.

Trimeresurus macrolepis is a slow-moving, arboreal, nocturnal snake that prefers rainforests, and is also found in tea, coffee and cardamom plantations.

It feeds mainly on frogs, lizards, small birds and rodents. Trimeresurus macrolepis is oviparous. Sexually mature females lay eggs in October, in clutches of 4-7.