Elliot's Earth Snake

About the Elliot's Earth Snake

Uropeltis ellioti, commonly known as Elliot's earth snake and Elliot's shieldtail, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to India. The specific name or epithet, ellioti, is in honor of Scottish naturalist Walter Elliot.

U. ellioti is found in southern India (Hills of Peninsular India. Western Ghats south of the Goa Gap to Tinnevelly. Eastern Ghats: Shevaroys, Coimbatore district, South Arcot, Jalarpet, Vizagapatam district, Ganjam). Type locality of Siloboura ellioti = "Madras".

Type locality of Silybura punctata = "Pulney hills, Golcondah hills". The preferred natural habitat of U. ellioti is forest, at altitudes of 100–1,400 m (330–4,590 ft). The dorsum of U. ellioti is dark brown, either uniform or with yellow dots. There is a yellow stripe on each side of the neck, and a yellow stripe on each side of the tail. The venter is dark brown with small yellow dots, and there is a yellow transverse bar across the vent, which connects the stripes on the sides of the tail.

Adults may attain a total length (including tail) of 24 cm (9+1⁄2 in). The dorsal scales are in 19 rows behind the... Wikipedia →