Olive-Green Snake Reported in B.R. Hills, Karnataka: What Is Known and What Is Not

A rare olive-green snake was reported from Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Hills (B.R. Hills) in Karnataka on 9 October 2026. The available report does not identify the species, the exact spot in the hills or how the snake was encountered. For exam preparation, the useful points are the habitat context and the reason colour alone cannot identify a snake.

What was reported, and when

The only source on the sighting is a GKToday current-affairs item dated 9 October 2026. It states that the report was made on 9 October 2026, which is the same date as the article. It does not give a separate date for when the snake was actually seen, so treat 9 October 2026 as the reporting date.

The source calls the snake “rare” but gives no species, record or expert assessment to back this up. Without an identification, the snake's rarity cannot be checked.

Why the species is still unknown

Several snakes in India are olive-green or olive-brown, so colour alone cannot confirm a species. According to the source, confirming an identification would need diagnostic features such as scale patterns, body proportions and head markings.

A separate review of Indian green pit vipers (Toxicon, 2024) makes a similar point about green snakes. It describes high morphological similarity among north-east Indian green pit vipers as a long-standing identification challenge. That review concerns north-east India and does not suggest the B.R. Hills snake is a pit viper. It simply shows that green or olive colouring is a weak basis for naming a species.

B.R. Hills: the habitat context

• B.R. Hills is in Chamarajanagar district, southern Karnataka.
• It forms part of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve.
• The reserve lies where the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats meet, a transition between two hill systems.
• Its varied habitats support reptiles, mammals and birds.

Olive-coloured snakes recorded in Karnataka

The source lists the following Karnataka examples to show that olive colouring occurs in more than one species. It states that none of them establishes the identity of the B.R. Hills snake.

Exam-relevant background

Key facts from the source

• Snakes belong to the suborder Serpentes within the reptile order Squamata.
• They are ectothermic vertebrates and periodically shed their outer skin as they grow.
• The Western Ghats are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global biodiversity hotspot.
• The olive keelback is in the family Natricidae.
• Scientific names: olive forest snake, Rhabdops olivaceus; Northern Western Ghats vine snake, Ahaetulla borealis.

How to use this for revision

Questions on species-in-news items usually test habitat, location and classification rather than the headline. Revise B.R. Hills as a tiger-reserve landscape at the Eastern–Western Ghats junction in Chamarajanagar district, and remember that this particular snake is unidentified. This is revision guidance only; the evidence does not show that any exam will ask about this sighting.

Evidence gaps

• No species identification, and no expert or forest-department confirmation, appears in the available material.
• The exact location within B.R. Hills and the circumstances of the encounter are not given.
• The claim that the snake is “rare” is unsupported by any record or assessment.
• The date of the actual sighting is not stated separately from the report date.

FAQ

Is the snake from B.R. Hills venomous?

This cannot be said, because the species has not been identified. The olive-coloured Karnataka snakes the source mentions are non-venomous, but the source does not link any of them to this sighting.

Was the snake confirmed as an olive keelback?

No. The olive keelback is given only as an example of an olive-coloured snake found in Karnataka.

Why can colour not identify the snake?

Several Indian species share olive-green or olive-brown colouring. Identification needs features such as scale patterns, body proportions and head markings.