WHY IN NEWS ?

• Researchers have discovered Black-bellied Coral snakes in the forests of Uttarakhand for the first time in history. The snake is related to the Elapidae family and Sinomicrurus genus. Its scientic name is S. nigriventer.
• It was found in the Bhadraj Block of Benog Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) in the Mussoorie Forest Division. There are currently 107 species of coral snakes in the world. In India, only seven coral snake species are found.
• As per the report of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on the management of snakebite, there are more than 2000 species of snakes in the world. About 300 of these species are found in India, of which 52 are venomous.
• India’s venomous snakes belong to three families ‘Elapidae’, ‘Viperidae’ and Hydrophidae’ (sea snakes).