Field guide

Common snakes of Berhampur & Ganjam

Learn the four medically important venomous snakes of Odisha and the harmless species often mistaken for them. Never approach or handle a snake to confirm what it is.

8 species shown

Venomous

Spectacled Cobra

Naja naja

ନାଗ ସାପ / ତମ୍ପ ସାପ (Naga / Tampa Sapa)

Neurotoxic & cytotoxicWPA Schedule I

How to recognise: Raises its forebody and spreads a hood with a spectacle-shaped mark, often with a loud hiss when cornered.
Where it lives: Agricultural fields, rodent burrows, old brick piles, store rooms and gardens across Berhampur and Ganjam.
Safety note: Bite causes drooping eyelids, breathing difficulty and painful swelling. Often confused with the harmless Indian Rat Snake.

Venomous

Common Krait

Bungarus caeruleus

ଚିତି ସାପ / ରଣା ସାପ (Chiti / Rana Sapa)

Strongly neurotoxicWPA Schedule II

How to recognise: Strictly nocturnal. Glossy bluish-black body with narrow paired white crossbands and hexagonal scales along the spine.
Where it lives: Termite mounds, rodent burrows, tiled roofs, rubble, and cool indoor floors at night.
Safety note: Bites people sleeping on the floor. Often painless with no swelling, followed by stomach pain, drooping eyelids and breathing failure.

Venomous

Russell's Viper

Daboia russelii

ଚନ୍ଦନବୋଡ଼ା ସାପ (Chandanaboda Sapa)

Hemotoxic & nephrotoxicWPA Schedule I

How to recognise: Stout body with three rows of dark chain-like oval blotches, a triangular head, and a loud pressure-cooker hiss.
Where it lives: Dry scrubland, paddy field bunds, grassy edges, and rocky outskirts of Berhampur.
Safety note: Severe pain, rapid swelling, bleeding from gums or bite site and kidney failure. Never cut or tie the limb.

Venomous

Saw-Scaled Viper

Echis carinatus

ଫୁରସା / ଧୂଳିଆ ବୋଡ଼ା (Phurusa / Dhulia Boda)

HemotoxicWPA Schedule II

How to recognise: Small and stout (30–60 cm) with a pale cross or trident mark on the head. Rubs its scales to make a rasping sound.
Where it lives: Sandy coastal belts around Gopalpur and Chatrapur, laterite scrub, under stones and thorny bushes.
Safety note: Causes bleeding tendencies (blood fails to clot on the 20WBCT test). Needs hospital anti-snake venom treatment.

Non-venomous

Indian Rat Snake

Ptyas mucosa

ଧାମଣା ସାପ (Dhamana Sapa)

Non-venomous · Farmer's friendWPA Schedule II

How to recognise: Fast, active by day, up to 6–8 feet long with large round eyes and black bars on the lips. It has no hood.
Where it lives: Paddy fields, granaries, residential compounds, trees and roofs across Odisha.
Safety note: Harmless to people and vital for controlling rats. Protected under Schedule II of the Wild Life Act.

Non-venomous

Checkered Keelback

Fowlea piscator

ପାଣି ଢେଣ୍ଡା ସାପ (Pani Dhenda Sapa)

Non-venomousWPA Schedule II

How to recognise: Olive-yellow body with a chessboard pattern of black spots and two black tear-marks below the eyes.
Where it lives: Ponds, flooded paddy fields, drainage canals and waterlogged compounds during the monsoon.
Safety note: Harmless. Feeds on frogs, fish and mosquito larvae.

Non-venomous

Common Wolf Snake

Lycodon aulicus

କଉଡ଼ିଆ ସାପ / ଘରଚଟିଆ ସାପ (Kaudia Sapa)

Non-venomous · Krait look-alikeWPA Schedule II

How to recognise: Small and slender, brown to black, with pale bands that start right from the neck.
Where it lives: Walls, crevices, window frames and ceilings, where it hunts house geckos.
Safety note: Harmless, but closely resembles the deadly krait at night. Never try to identify it by hand.

Non-venomous

Indian Rock Python

Python molurus

ଅଜଗର ସାପ (Ajagara Sapa)

Non-venomous constrictorWPA Schedule I

How to recognise: Large, heavy-bodied constrictor with an irregular blotched pattern and heat-sensing lip pits.
Where it lives: Eastern Ghats forest fringes around Taptapani, Tara Tarini, Budhakhola and rocky scrubland in Ganjam.
Safety note: Highest legal protection. Any sighting near homes must be referred to the Odisha Forest Department.