Amboli- The paradise of rare and gorgeous amphibians

Whis is the best place for herpetology tour in India?

Standing in a pensive mode I was staring at the shimmering shades of green reflected from every leaf and grass of this lustrous forest when suddenly a voice echoed from the back saying "Let's take the route heading towards waterfall". He was our herping guide Ganesh who has been in this field for the last eight years. An interesting thing about Ganesh is that he left his high paying job in Advertisement to learn about the unique lives reptiles dwelling in the vast tentacles of the Western Ghats of which Amboli is just a small part. While moving through the narrow trails I was exposed to a wide variety of crawling species residing in its untamed landscape. As we further penetrated deep inside the jungle, the low volume of cacophonic sound became more intense, reverberating the entire jungle with a euphonic symphony. On the way, Ganesh was explaining to us how the enchanting forest
of Western Ghats has become a humble abode for the amphibians living on this planet for more than 130 million years.

He also emphasized on being watchful to every movement if one wish to witness the beautiful spectacles in the form of rare species dwelling in this unique landform. While paying attention to every word proclaimed by our naturalist, my eyes hooked upon a shimmering creature which was crawling its way behind one of our teammates. It was a rarely seen Caecilian- a rare form of legless amphibian that can be easily traced in this part of the forest. Moving further we chanced upon getting a wonderful spectacle of a Northern Gliding Frog sitting on a leaf stretching his one handling to its full length and spreading its toe like a web. Passing through a narrow creek brought us to the roosting place of Amboli Tiger Toad- an endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats especially in the vicinity of Amboli Forest.

 Not only does Amboli harbors a unique life of cold-blooded vertebrate animals but it is a wonderful hotspot for a wide range of butterfly species as well. Walking in the region exposed us to a diverse variety of butterflies including Blue Mormon, Dakhan Spotted Flat, Dakhan Spotted Flat, Southern Birdwing, etc.

After three-hour-long trail as we were resting near a small stream, an isolated Purple Frog puffing up its throat caught our eyes. Belonging to the family Sooglossodae, this recently discovered amphibian which has been one of the oldest species on this planet has been the talking point amongst the amphibians and we were fortunate to get its delightful sight. However, the culmination of the tour was when we witnessed the spectacular beauty of Green Viper beautifully camouflaged around a tree.