Hyderabad: Sloth bears digging through rain-softened soil for ants and other insects in Telangana ’s Amrabad Tiger Reserve are also turning up an unusual underground prey — shield-tailed snakes.
Researchers examining 143 sloth bear scat samples collected across the Nallamala forests found remains of Uropeltis ellioti, a secretive burrowing snake, in five samples, accounting for 3.5% of the total. The 18-month study, conducted between July 2024 and Dec 2025 by researchers from Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HyTiCoS) and the Biological Laboratory of Amrabad Tiger Reserve, was published in the Asian Journal of Research in Zoology.
Researchers said the finding expands the known dietary range of sloth bears to include underground vertebrate prey and highlights their ability to adapt their diet to seasonal conditions. The study describes this as one of the first scat-based records suggesting the presence of Uropeltis in the diet of sloth bears. The study was authored by N Akhil Goud, G Bapu Reddy, Imran Siddqui of HyTiCoS, Sunil S Hiremath, Emmanuel Kote, Ravikanth Manchiryala, Mahendar Reddy, Korutla Srikanth and Vikas Rathod. It also underlines the importance of preserving intact soil and leaf-litter layers that support subterranean species and the wider forest food web.