This master of freshwater ponds, lakes, and streams is completely at home in this habitat, using reeds, aquatic plants, and crevices to live its very adaptable life. Found almost throughout mainland India, the checkered keelback has made itself quite at home around humans. In cities, they are found in gardens, living in sewers, back yards and any damp to wet place where they can find shelter and food. In rural settings, checkered keelbacks seem to love rice fields with the bounty of fish and frogs they have to offer. They’re also common in open wells, irrigation tanks, lakes, and ponds. Checkered keelbacks are voracious feeders, responding actively to movement and ripples in water, or any visible movement on land. They strike and grab frogs and fish and will even bite off more than they can “chew”. Read more about these snakes.
About the contributors
Nisarg Prakash
is a wildlife biologist working with Roundglass Sustain. A large part of my work before Sustain has been along streams and rivers, in the process trying to understand otters better
