Goa: Striped keelback rescued from Ghoteli residence

KERI: A striped keelback, a non-venomous snake that feeds on poisonous toads, was rescued from a house in Haddecho Kano in Ghoteli, Sattari. Goa has a rich species diversity of the snakes which is locally refereed to as ‘hevale’.
“The snake was in our backyard and was swallowing a toad. We were scared on seeing it and called in a snake rescuer who caught it released it in its natural habitat,” said Maitrayee Ghogale, from whose house the snake was rescued.
The striped keelback has a slender body with a long tail and is generally found in damp places, grasslands and fields. It lives on frogs, toads and lizards. The snake attacks when provoked by expanding its neck laterally displaying a blue to red colour between the scales.
Herpetologist Gerry Martin, who was informed about the rescued reptile, said, “This snake loves feeding on toads and frogs. Many snakes are immune to bufotoxin.” Bufotoxins are toxic steroid lactones that occur in the parotoid glands, skin and venom of many toads.