8 months ago
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A four-day lizard recognition store and tract survey astatine Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary has led to the documentation of 16 taxon of lizards crossed varied habitats stretching from Valyanchal basal campy to Sooryamudi highest and into Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The programme, organised by the Malabar Awareness and Rescue Center for Wildlife (MARC), was aimed astatine grooming Forest section unit to place lesser-known fauna. S.R. Ganesh, a herpetologist, led the sessions that combined schoolroom instructions with extended fieldwork.
A cardinal absorption of the survey was the critically endangered Kottiyoor Day Gecko (Cnemaspis Kotiyoorensis), described lone successful 2014. The taxon was recorded during the survey astatine Sooryamudi camp, reaffirming its restricted distribution.
In total, teams documented lizard taxon that belonged to 4 antithetic family. Besides the Indian Monitor, the squad documented six taxon of Agamidae lizards which is Indian flying lizard, oriental plot lizard, communal greenish wood lizard, endagered Nilgiri wood lizard, Eliiot’s wood lizard and Roux’s wood lizard.
The survey besides recovered lizard from Scincidae family, which included keeled Indian mabuya and endangered taxon including abbreviated writer skink, Dawson’s writer skink and Beddome’s feline skink.
Five gecko species, including the endangered Wayanad time gecko, coastal time gecko, Kottiyoor time gecko, communal location gecko, and spotted location gecko taxon were besides recorded.
MARC members assisted wood officials during the survey. The store and tract survey were conducted nether the guidance of V. Ratheeshan, Wildlife Warden of Aralam sanctuary, adjunct warden Remya Raghavan, and Roshnath Ramesh, Secretary of MARC.
