Albino Asian water snake, also known as the checkered keel. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
GUWAHATI
A team from the Assam State Zoo and Botanical Gardens has reported the first case of albinism in the spotted keel (Fowlea piscator), also called the Asian water snake, in Assam.
Wildlife officials said a young albino checkered keel, measuring 290mm in length, was found near Guwahati Zoo.
The identity of the snake was confirmed by close inspection of its appearance and scaling, which matched published descriptions for piscator Fowlea.
The researchers released the snake into a protected forest environment within three days of using it as a sample for the study.
A non-venomous snake, the checkered keelback is a common species in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. However, the albino checkered keelback is not that common.
According to a study published in Reptiles & Amphibians, a peer-reviewed international open-access journal, albinism is an extremely rare genetic trait in wild snakes characterized by the absence of the pigment melanin, resulting in pale coloring and often red eyes.
The authors of the study are Rupankar bhattarjee, Ashwini Kumar, Debabrata Phukon and Pranjal Mahananda of Assam State Zoo and Jayadity Purkayastha of Guwahati-Based help, help earth, a biodiversity conservation group specializing in reptiles.
Hypopigmentation, leading to albinism or leucism (partial loss of pigmentation), has previously been reported in snakes from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mizoram and West Bengal in India and Dhanusha district in Nepal, the researchers said.
“The new record underscores Assam’s growing reputation as a center for wildlife conservation and research. The report may contribute valuable information to ongoing studies of rare genetic traits in Indian wildlife,” a zoo official said on Friday (Nov 14, 2025).
Published – November 15, 2025 12:17 PM IST
