My earliest memory of snakes, as a young child, is the hullaballoo in our house when a snake entered the room that my sister and I shared. There was panic in the house! Lots of shouting and screaming by my mother and sister did not deter me from going close to check out the creature. The poor snake, probably taking shelter from the heavy rain outside, must have been petrified with the chaos in the house and probably thought it was safer outside! Despite calls to kill it, I insisted that we catch the snake and release it outside, which the gardener duly managed.
As I grew older I became more knowledgeable about snakes and realised that they are not the vile, slimy creatures that people make them out to be. In Pune where I spent a number of years many of my friends were passionate snake lovers! The Pune Snake Park which regularly held sessions familiarising people with snakes and their behaviour, was a great help in understanding them better.
The adjacent photograph is that of a Russell’s Kukri (Oligodon taeniolatus). Found regularly in urban and rural habitats, this snake was photographed in Thoothukudi city. A small, docile snake, typically just over a foot in length, this snake is non-venomous and harmless. It is called a ‘kukri’ snake, because its teeth are shaped like a kukri knife. Eggs of reptiles, birds and small mammals form the main diet of a kukri snake, and it uses its ‘kukri’ shaped teeth to slice open the eggs.
Most snakes are not venomous. Four common venomous snakes that you can see in cities are the Common Krait, Spectacled Cobra, Russell’s Viper and the Saw-scaled Viper. More importantly snakes will not attack humans unless threatened. Contrary to popular belief, the snake’s venom is primarily used to defend itself from predators or to catch its prey, and definitely not to kill humans! Nevertheless, it is not advisable for people who are unfamiliar with snakes to try and catch them. For all you know, the one snake that you try and catch may be venomous! Even so, what you should not do, is kill the snake. The best way to deal with the snake that you see on the road is just let it be. It will slither away without bothering anybody. And in case a snake enters your home, your city is sure to have some ‘friends of snakes’ organisation which can help catch the snake and release it outside.
Just like every other creature on this planet, snakes have a crucial role to play in the web of life. Many snake species feed on rodents which would otherwise eat our stored food grains. In addition, they are food for many other creatures; for example, the King Cobra mainly feeds on other snakes, as does a bird called the Crested Serpent Eagle. So the next time you see a snake in your home or on the road, don’t forget its importance in the web of life!
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