Great Snakes!

A herpetologist explores the wilds, meeting species and awe-inspiring people

- Nirmal Kulkarni

The phone rings at a base station in Agumbe, the heart of king cobra country.

Caller: We have a huge black snake with white lines under a boulder.

Receiver: Black snake? Don't go close. We are on our way.

Three vehicles, with 16 people, seven snake hooks, four snake bags, nine cameras and a lot of adrenaline, rush out. Two hours and several hairpin bends later, we are at the location in a Karnataka village. Some of us have sent prayers in advance to our respective family deities. We are led to a small rock. Under it is a tiny and harmless wolf snake. Black and white, as described, but not a king cobra. We head back, laughing all the way.

I am a snake man. My life centres on demystifying these jewels of the animal world. If and when we meet, chances are that I will speak more about snakes with you than the local fish for lunch, as a Goan should!

The Beginning 

Son: Baba, I was part of a team that has discovered a new Caecilian species…

Father: Umm, what's that? It looks like a worm. Son: It eats worms, baba. It's an amphibian.

Father:  Really? Couldn't you find something bigger and better looking? How can I tell my friends that my son discovered a new worm that's not even a worm?