Young Cobras, pythons find home in Western Ghats

July 3, 2013

Malpe, Jul 3: Western Ghats has embraced some young ones in its arms. They are none other than 24 young ones of cobras, which were hatched naturally and 32 little pythons born through artificial methods of hatching.

Vasanth Mendon from Malpe had called herpetologist Gururaj Sanil to inspect an anthill that had come up near his house. Gururaj found that there were several young ones of Cobras living inside the anthill. Fearing that the young ones will be hurt if they break the anthill, Gururaj resorted to filling the anthill with water. In this technique, as many as 24 young cobras floated out. Since there were 24 hatched egg shells inside the anthill, it means that all the young ones had come out safe.

Gururaj says that the lifespan of a Cobra is about 25 years and an adult Cobra lays about 8 to 15 eggs. The number of eggs increases with age. The adult Cobras lay eggs during March and April and the eggs are hatched during May, June-July. The young ones are usually 10 inch long, of which male ones grow upto 7 feet and females grow up to 5 feet.

Python

In another instance, Sundari Acharya from Nayampalli of Udupi had called Gururaj on May 17 informing that a constrictor had laid eggs in the cowshed. Even when Gururaj informed the family members that the young ones will go all by themselves once the eggs are hatched, petrified family did not agree. With this, Gururaj had to get the eggs out of the cowshed and take it to a safe place.

Pythons are the only constrictors which hatch their eggs. However, if there is a change in place then the pythons refuse to hatch the eggs. Hence Gururaj had to make arrangements to hatch the eggs using artificial techniques.

The young ones of pythons stay together in a pack and once the first layer of skin is shed, they part ways. These hatchlings can stay alive for about a month even if they do not find any food, says Gururaj.

Normally pythons lay about 15 to 30 eggs. The adult pythons prefer warm places to lay eggs and hence if they venture towards human settlements then they usually head to the sheds to lay eggs. They lay eggs around March, April while the young ones are out by July. While the young ones are out, the mother leaves to hunt for food.

It is said that no matter how many eggs are hatched only four to five of the young ones of the Cobras and pythons survive. The young ones often become food to mongoose, peacocks, fox and other wild animals, which feed on them.

The young ones have been released to Western ghats.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

‘Profit’ trap: Mangaluru trader duped of ₹33.1 lakh in online App scam

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Think Before You Post! Mangaluru Police Crack Down on Provocative Instagram Accounts

News Network

December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

Comments