World Snake Day

World Snake Day, celebrated annually on July 16, is dedicated to raising awareness about the diverse and often misunderstood reptiles. The day aims to educate the public about the role snakes play in ecosystems, dispel myths, and promote conservation efforts.

World Snake Day: Why it's celebrated?

Snakes are crucial to maintaining the balance of nature. They control pest populations by preying on rodents and insects, thereby protecting crops and reducing the spread of diseases. However, these reptiles are often feared and persecuted due to widespread misconceptions and myths about their danger to humans. World Snake Day serves as an opportunity to correct these misunderstandings and highlight the importance of snakes in the natural world.

World Snake Day facts

Snakes are masters of disguise, skilled hunters, and champion eaters. Here are awesome facts you may not have known about these carnivorous reptiles.

According to National Geographic, about 600 species of snake are venomous, and only about 200 seven percent are able to kill or significantly wound a human.

Snakes are capable of swallowing animals up to 75%-100% larger than their own heads.

According to the latest count, there are 3,789 snake species, making them the second largest group of reptiles after lizards. They are divided into 30 different families and numerous subfamilies. Australia is home to approximately 140 of them.

In Indian culture, the cobra is considered the king of serpents and is believed to possess incredible powers. The cobra is often referred to as Nag or Naga in Hindu mythology, and many stories revolve around these powerful beings, who are sometimes depicted as half-human and half-snake.

Lord Shiva, one of the most important gods in Hinduism, is often depicted with a snake around his neck, symbolizing his power over death and rebirth.

Ever wondered why snakes might give you an eerie feeling? They don’t have eyelids! This means they don’t blink and have to sleep with their eyes wide open. Instead of eyelids they have a thin membrane attached to each eye to protect them. The membrane is called the ‘brille,’ which in German means glasses.

Snakes do have nostrils, but they don’t use them to smell. Instead, they have evolved to smell with their tongue and by using their Jacobson’s organ in the roof of their mouth. Their smell is quite excellent and has also been described as “smelling in stereo”. They have a forked tongue and multiple receptors able to pick up different amounts of chemical cues.

Imagine a snake moving through the grass. What do you picture? The well-known s-movement? This wouldn’t be surprising, because this is the most common form of locomotion in snakes, also known as lateral undulation. But snakes have four other types of movement. Arboreal snakes, for example, use a form of locomotion which uses seven times more energy, called concertina. There is even a special locomotion used for when a snake tries to escape on a smooth surface, known as slide pushing.

Most snakes lay eggs, but some species – including sea snakes – give birth

Snakes are mostly solitary, except during mating season.

If snakes could put a “leave me alone” sign on their bedroom door, they probably would.

Outside of Antarctica and the North and South poles, snakes are found nearly everywhere on Earth except for Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Some sea snakes can breathe partially through their skin, allowing them to stay underwater longer.

Snakes are bony – they can have up to 1,200 bones.

Snake scales (and rattlesnake rattles) contain keratin – the same substance found in human hair and nails.

Some snakes have girl power: the tiny Brahminy blind snake, or flowerpot snake, is the only snake species made up solely of females, meaning they can reproduce all on their own.

How can snake help us?

Snakes serve critical role as predators, as preys, as ecosystem engineers, and provide economic and therapeutic benefits to humans.

Snakes are also a source of many medicines. The only proven and effective therapy for snakebite - the snake-anti venom, is also derived from snake venoms.

Snake venom is injected into horses and sheep. The animals’ plasma with antibodies against the venom is collected and purified to produce the life-saving, snake anti-venom.

Snakes also play a role in disease prevention and provide benefits to agricultural communities. Rodents are carriers of many zoonotic diseases (like Lyme disease, leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, hantavirus) which affects humans, dogs, cattle, sheep, and other domestic animals.

Snakes as ‘ecosystem-engineers’ facilitate ‘secondary seed dispersal’, thus contributing to reproduction of plants.

By eating rodents, snakes keep the population of rodents under control, thus preventing zoonotic disease transmission, and contributing to food security.