Walking Under the Stars

 Walking Under the Stars

The moon casts an eerie milky glow on the landscape, the palm trees rising in stark contrast against the starry sky. The crick-crick-creeeeek of hundreds of thousands of crickets rises in an orchestral ensemble, drowning out our hushed voices and the cracking of twigs under our feet. Headlamps sweep right to left and suddenly, one voice rises excitedly above the rest. 

“Snake!”  

Sadly, it is only a vine draped artistically over a fence, and the group shares a hearty laugh. We continue, eyes peeled, Thanigai and Rahini leading us with their laser-focused gaze on the trees, shrubbery, fence, and ground. We traipse along merrily, relying on their expertise to find the snakes and frogs we have come out to learn more about. Each night after dinner, we set off on “herp (herpetofauna) walks” under the moon to discover the nightlife in and around the ACCC. 

The area around the ACCC is rife with herpatofauna, ranging from snakes to frogs and toads to lizards of many types. On our walks, we spotted numerous green vine snakes (which are only mildly venomous unlike the “big four”), common bronzeback tree snakes, saw-scaled vipers, a Forsten’s cat snake, and the occasional cobra and Russel’s viper. We kept our eyes peeled for the enormous Indian rock python, but unfortunately, not a single one crossed our path those moonlit nights. One of the most beautiful snakes spotted was the Forsten’s cat snake. Cat snakes are named for their pupils, which are vertically-slitted just like those of a cat. They are mildly venomous with rear fangs, just like other cat snakes, but because of their large size, Thanigai warned us that bites by this snake can be serious. Every time we came across a snake, he took a few minutes to explain the snake’s ecology and behaviour to us. “Herpetologists,” said Thanigai, “must always be aware of the snake’s specific behavioural patterns before attempting to rescue one.” 

Snake rescuing, as opposed to snake catching, was an emphasised term during our herp walks. Picking up snakes has to be about the snake, not because of the human desire to conquer or subdue a snake. Thanigai was firm that we should only handle snakes when the snake is in a position that it requires rescuing from, such as stuck in an unsuitable habitat, trying to cross a road, or surrounded by hostile humans or animals. This was a refreshing difference from the people I have seen catching snakes senselessly and stressing out the poor creatures. 

Snakes were not the only fascinating creatures spotted on our night walks. One day, we came across a beautiful Sitana marudhamneydhal, a species of agamid lizard known as the fan-throated lizard because of the frilly fan on the throat of the male that is blue near the chin and becomes a deep red further towards the chest. Another night, we spotted bioluminescent rock scorpions hiding in the crevices of the stone wall along the road. The exoskeleton of these scorpions glowed bluish-purple under UV light, a fascinating phenomenon that we had no explanation for. 

Exploring the area around the ACCC at night was thrilling and shed an entirely new perspective on the world of organisms that we rarely encounter during the day. Under the moonlight, snakes raise their hoods and hiss, casting long, winding shadows on the dirt path. Under the moonlight, scorpions battle for mates, their stingers raised threateningly. And under the moonlight, an orchestra of frogs choruses in the paddy fields, beckoning to the reckless wanderer to come investigate.