Snakes on Trains: Railways May Sway Goa's King Cobra Distribution

Abstract

We provide the first detailed documentation on the distribution and natural history of the Western Ghats King Cobra, Ophiophagus kaalinga, in Goa State, India, and its interesting apparent interaction with railway infrastructure, which may influence its distribution. The combination of rescue records, verified sightings, local reports, and historical data allowed us to document a total of 47 georeferenced localities where O. kaalinga has been found in the state, with 18 localities in North Goa District and 29 in South Goa District. These data inform our study of the Goa Gap, a biologically significant region without obvious physical characteristics, and assess the suitability of this area for king cobras. Using a series of climate and vegetation variables, we were able to model the potential distribution of the species in Goa. It is noteworthy that the five king cobra records that fall along busy railway corridors had the lowest predicted probability, as predicted by our model. Combined with recent reports of snakes on trains in India and of O. kaalinga in a rail yard, entirely unsuitable reptile habitats, we propose the hypothesis that snakes, king cobras included, may inadvertently expand their ranges by accidental transport on trains.