Keywords
Mukurthi National Park
Reptile Populations
Shola
Grasslands. Western Ghats.
How to Cite
Abstract
In the present paper, we describe species composition, abundance, richness, diversity and biometry of reptiles inhabiting the Upper Nilgiris (1,800-2,400 m above msl), based on c. 27 ha of quadrate and 680 man-hours of visual encounter surveys, between October 2000 and September 2002. Including opportunistic observations, 10 species of reptiles were recorded in the area, which includes seven endemics of the Western Ghats. Species richness, diversity, density and relative abundance of reptiles were low in plantations compared to natural habitats. Richness and Diversity are different, the former is actual number of species observed and the latter is an index. The highest density of 14.85 reptiles/ha was found in grasslands and the lowest in pine forests (4.98/ha). The study shows that most of the species inhabiting Upper Nilgiris were affected by conversion of native vegetation into plantations. This study highlights the conservation importance of both habitat (shola and grasslands) and herpetofauna, as both of them are restricted to the Western Ghats.References
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