About Rhinophis siruvaniensis:
- It is a new species of shieldtail snake.
- It was discovered in Siruvani Hills, located in the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- The tip of its tail is dome-shaped.
Key Facts about Shieldtail Snakes:
- Shieldtails are a group of small-sized, non-venomous snakes that burrow in the soil and mostly live underground.
- They belong to the Uropeltidae family of snakes and are also called uropeltids.
- They’ve been named shieldtails because the tip of their tails looks like a disc-shaped shield.
- Distribution:
- They are endemic to India & Sri Lanka.
- In India, they are found in the Western Ghats and some parts of Peninsular India.
