Manaslu Herping in Flashback !

In the spring of 2012, I set off together with my colleagues for the Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA) to gather information on amphibians and reptiles as a part of my dissertation. Since this was before monsoon, my supervisor advised postponing my visit to a later date when plenty of rain saturates the soil. But the ones who funded the project forced me to flock together with my colleagues. For sure, I had the dim prospects about the findings as I was sent on a fool's errand. Anyway, the journey begun with a 20-kilo rucksack hung on the back, a 40-inch home-made snake hook and a DIY dip net :) 

Snake hook found nowhere else

From Lapu VDC, Gorkha no vehicle climbs uphill so the on-foot excursion began exploring cold-blooded critters nearby. Ubiquitous was the Himalayan rock lizard basking on boulders easily spotted because of the yellow blotches on dark brown background entirely over the dorsum. These robust agamas are the signature lizard of montane regions. Amazing to hear, these agamas are largely herbivores in their diet. 

Himalayan Rock Lizard

After 3 days, I reached Jagat - entry point of MCA and it started drizzling. Sighed with a little relief after hours of walking under the blazing hot sun, I perched on the stone fencing and felt something crept over my right foot. It was the same rock lizard, eh! When the sun shone again, I saw them more coming out of rock crevices and in human settlements adhesive to the walls. While taking pictures, one of the hoteliers interrupted, 'You can see hundreds of these in summer!' I began to interview him about herps of MCA and he told me to visit brooks of the mountains to see 'Paha' (mountain frogs). The next day, I traveled to Bihi village and then to Prok where I had to stay at Mr. Dorje's place. He was a traditional healer, called 'Amji' in the local language. He served me best with his profound knowledge of herbal medicine and ethno-herpetology. 

Mr Dorje and me @ his place

The next day, I went to every creek of Prok lifting stones, poking weeds beneath but unfortunately couldn't find a single 'Paha'. Then I recalled why my supervisor tried to halt my journey that season and equally seethed over the puerile decision of my funder. One should have a deep reverence for nature in order to be a good learner and this is what I'm gonna do the rest of my life as a wildlife enthusiast. At the end of the day, here's what I encountered that season of herping;

Peering beneath the rocks

Checklist of herpetofauna encountered in MCA throughout the field survey

S. No.	Scientific Name	Common Name	Nepali/Vernacular name	No. of Individuals recorded	Encountered Elevation (in m)
AMPHIBIAN (TOAD)
1	Bufo himalayanus (Gunther, 1894)	Himalayan Toad	Khasre bhyaguto	4	1601-2250
REPTILES (LIZARDS, SKINK & SNAKE)
2	Calotes versicolor versicolor (Daudin, 1802)	Common garden lizard	Chheparo, Girgit	8	1484-2512
3	Laudakia tuberculata (Hardwicke & Gray, 1827)	Himalayan rock lizard	Chheparo, Patharchatuwa	51	1438-2665
4	Asymblepharus sikimmensis (Blyth, 1853)	Sikkim skink	Bhanemungro	1	1682
5	Elaphe hodgsonii (Gunther, 1860)	Himalayan trinket snake	Sarpa, Wayana	1	1470

Bufo Himalayanus Gunther, 1894

Elaphe hodgsonii (Gunther, 1860)