Reptiles

The reptiles include crocodiles, 'turtles, lizards and snakes, distributed in a variety of habitats. About 449 species of reptiles are reported from India of which 159 species occur in Kerala, which include two species of crocodiles (one belived to be extinct), 12 species of turtles, 48 species of lizards and 97 species of snakes. The destruction of forest habitats has already taken heavy toll on several populations of reptiles. The king cobra and the lesser snakes in the rain forest are under pressure from continued habitat destruction caused by man. The greatest drain on the populations of reptiles is due to, the increasing demand for their skin for commercial purposes. The skin trade has made the Indian crocodiles endangered and the demand for skin of snakes and lizards in international market continues to be a constant threat to the survival of reptiles such as the sand boa, python, rat snake, cobra, viper and the monitor lizard.

The reptilian fauna of India are largely dominated by Indo Chinese elements. The genera Salea and Ristella are endemic to Western Ghats. Primitive burrowing snakes of the family Uropeltidae are exclusive to Western Ghats and Sri Lanka.

The geckos Cnemaspis wynadensis and C. nairi, the lizard Otocryptis beddomii, the skink Mabuya clivicola, the snakes Melanophidium bilineatum, Rhinophis fergusonianus, R. travancoricus and Rhabdops olivaceus are so far known only from Kerala.

Among those found in Kerala, all the five marine turtles (Dermochelys coriacea, Eretmochelys imbricata, Chelonia sp., Caretta caretta, Lepidochelys olivacea), the mugger or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), the monitor lizard (Varanus bengalensis) and the Indian rock python (Python molurus) are considered endangered. The Cochin forest cane turtle (Geoemyda silvatica) and the Indian flapshelled turtle (Lissemys punctata) are considered vulnerable while the status of the Travancore tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii) is insufficiently known. The estuarine or salt-water crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) which once had a wide distribution in Kerala is now believed to be extinct in the state.