Reptiles News

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A pet African grey parrot in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu. More than 40,000 people in India have declared their exotic pets. By law, pet owners must register possession, transfer, birth and death of species listed in the Wild Life (Protection) Act. Representative image by Yercaud-elango via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Legal system fails to keep pace with India’s growing exotic pet industry

Arathi Menon 1 Oct 2026

Major mugger habitats lie outside protected areas

Sneha Mahale 6 Jul 2026
A Sistan sand boa. Image by Vivek Sharma.

New sand boa species calls for attention

Arathi Menon 24 Jun 2026
A Russel's viper in a human habitation. Image by Sandeep Das.

Snake sightings rise even when snakebite deaths fall

Arathi M.R. 22 Jun 2026
A sarpa kaavu in Kannur district, Kerala. Image by Manoj Karingamadathil via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The changing fate of Kerala’s sacred groves [Commentary]

Nibha Namboodiri 11 May 2026
Saara hardwickii or the spiny-tailed lizard is endemic to the Thar and Kutch desert regions. Image by Mihir Joshi.

Spiny-tailed lizards add insects to the menu

Shweta Yogi 4 May 2026
Günther's Indian gecko. Image by Vengolis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Small creatures, big adaptations

Team Mongabay-India 22 Apr 2026

The long-snouted river specialist

Team Mongabay-India 1 Apr 2026

The world’s longest venomous snake

Team Mongabay-India 3 Mar 2026
An olive Ridley turtle in rehabilitation. Across coastal states, turtle conservation depends heavily on community labour, with limited financial support. Image by K.A. Shaji.

Prioritise turtle conservation over tourism say experts after budget announcement

K.A. Shaji 18 Feb 2026
Mohd Shahnawaz Khan releases a juvenile gharial in Murshidabad, West Bengal. Image courtesy of Mohd Shahnawaz Khan/WWF-India.

Experts divided over reintroducing captive-bred gharials in rivers

Rajeev Tyagi 4 Feb 2026
Hemidactylus kalinga sp. nov. Image by Pratyush P. Mohapatra.

New-to-science gecko sheds light on Eastern Ghats’ biodiversity

Arathi Menon 22 Jan 2026
Given that existing anti-venom does not neutralise the venom of a Malar pit viper, the study authors are are raising awareness about these lesser-known but medically significant venomous snakes so that antivenom manufacturers can consider adding them to their immunisation pools. Image by Bose Mudappa.

Scientists warn Malabar pit viper is medically overlooked

Arathi Menon 12 Dec 2025
Rhinophis siruvaniensis. Image by by Umesh P.K.

Scientists describe a new species of burrowing shieldtail snake

Vandana K. 9 Dec 2025
A camera trap image captures a pack of golden jackals feeding on a crowned river turtle. Image by Gourav Sonawane.

Golden jackals are a growing threat to endangered crowned river turtles

Shweta Yogi 6 Nov 2025
A saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus). Image by Rohit via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

India’s snakes changing range, thanks to climate change

T. V. Padma 17 Oct 2025

Dead snakes can still inject venom

Nabarun Guha 23 Sep 2025

Roadkill study demonstrates urgent necessity for safeguards

Simrin Sirur 2 Sep 2025
A gharial and its offspring. At temperatures of around 32°C, a majority of hatchlings may develop into males, while temperatures below 31.5°C and above 33.5°C will see female production dominate. Image by Surya P Sharma.

Rising temperatures could change the future for India’s gharials

Sneha Mahale 11 Jul 2025
A Russel's viper. Image by CHANDRANUJ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

A single pill to fight the fang

Arathi Menon 4 Jul 2025