A rare flash of pale gold in the undergrowth near the Assam State Zoo has led researchers to confirm India’s first documented albino Checkered Keelback, marking a striking addition to the country’s reptile records.
The juvenile male, just 290 mm long, was discovered on June 1, 2024 close to the zoo campus in Guwahati. Its unusual appearance, red eyes and an unmarked yellowish body, immediately drew the attention of herpetologists, who later confirmed it as a case of complete albinism in Fowlea piscator, a watersnake commonly found across South Asia.
The finding has been detailed in the international journal Reptiles & Amphibians by researchers Rupankar Bhattacharjee, Ashwini Kumar, Debabrata Phukon, Pranjal Mahananda, and Jayaditya Purkayastha. The authors documented the snake’s morphology and scalation patterns before establishing its genetic anomaly through comparisons with normal specimens.
Forest and Environment Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary highlighted the discovery on social media on Saturday, bringing wider attention to the rarity of the sighting. The zoo’s team noted that the snake lacked all melanin in its skin, scales, and eyes, resulting in the total absence of the characteristic dark chequered pattern.
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Researchers remarked that while pigment-related variations are sometimes observed in related species such as the Indian Ratsnake, true albinism remains exceptionally rare. Only two such records of albino F. piscator have previously been published globally, from Nepal and Bangladesh.
The snake was photographed and subsequently released into a protected habitat around Guwahati to minimise predation risks, as albino reptiles are particularly vulnerable due to their heightened visibility in the wild.
According to experts, such occurrences help expand understanding of melanin pathways, genetic mutations, and environmental adaptations in reptilian species. The Assam State Zoo team has encouraged the public to report unusual wildlife sightings that could aid long-term biodiversity monitoring.
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