Recently, the survey of amphibians and reptiles was concluded at Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area near Thekkady in the districts of Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India.
It is notable as both a elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area covers an area of 925 km2 (357 sq mi). 305 km2 (118 sq mi) of the core zone was declared as the Periyar National Park in 1982.
The park is a repository of rare, endemic and endangered flora and fauna and forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala, the Periyar and the Pamba.
The park is often called the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary or Thekkady. It is located high in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills of the south Western Ghats along the border with Tamil Nadu.
It is 4 km (2.5 mi) from Kumily, approximately 100 km (62 mi) east of Kottayam, 110 km (68 mi) west of Madurai and 120 km (75 mi) southeast of Kochi.
The survey shed light on over 62 varieties of amphibians and 63 varieties of reptiles inside the sanctuary.
For the first time, over 16 varieties of frogs have been spotted at PTR. Critically-endangered species like great bush frog, star-eyed tree frog, large ghat tree frog, Anamalai night frog, and yellow-eyed bush frog were also spotted in the survey.
As part of the survey, reptiles like Cochin cane turtle, Anamali salea, blue-tailed skink, Travancore kurki and Malabar pit viper were also spotted. For the first time, 14 varieties of reptiles were spotted at PTR.
The survey was conducted on 925 square km area of east and west divisions of the PTR. In the survey, 22 five-member teams participated.