Rare Yellowish-White Albino Checkered Keelback Found in Boda, Panchagarh

An unusual checkered keelback snake with no trace of its normal colouring has been found in Boda upazila of Panchagarh. While keelbacks are normally brownish and dark, this snake's yellowish-white colour has drawn particular attention.

Md Shahidul Islam, founding president and rescuer of the Wildlife and Snake Rescue Team in Bangladesh, recently rescued the snake from Haldiyapukur village in Maidandighi union of Boda upazila.

Wildlife rescuers said the change in the snake's colour was caused by albinism, a rare genetic trait.

The snake is a checkered keelback, scientifically known as Fowlea piscator, and it is a completely non-venomous species.

Although this species normally carries brown and dark markings, the rescued snake showed a yellowish-white colour because of its albino trait.

Albinism is not a separate species but an inborn genetic condition in which melanin production in the body falls or stops, changing the animal's natural colour and in many cases affecting eye colour as well.

Rescuer Md Shahidul Islam said the snake had several wounds on its body and that albinism was the reason its natural colour had changed, adding that snakes with this trait are rarely seen.

Those involved said the snake would be observed to see whether its physical condition changes after shedding its skin a few times, and it would then be released into a suitable environment.