World Snake Day is commemorated every year on July 16 to shine a spotlight on the indispensable role snakes play in the natural environment.
Sixteenth of July each year marks the celebration as World Snake Day. The day aims to raise awareness about different kinds of snakes found in the world and to shine a spotlight on the indispensable role they play in the biosphere.
Our planet Earth is home to more than 3,500 species of snakes of which nearly 600 are venomous. Unfortunately, these limbless, elongated reptiles are often misunderstood. This World Snake Day shed your fears and learn more about snakes.
Below are some stunning facts about snakes :
1) King Cobra, the world’s longest snake, is also the only snake species in the world that makes a nest for laying its eggs.
2) Flying snakes exist. These limbless creatures aren’t capable of flying like birds or bats but can glide down from trees by trapping air under their bodies with the help of their ribs.
3) Snakes lack external ears. Then how do they sense sound? Well, bones in the lower jaw of snakes are capable of picking up sound waves from water or ground surface.
4) You’d think that a creature without limbs would a poor climber. But this is not true in the case of snakes. These limbless reptiles can smoothly climb trees with the help of their belly scales.
5) Snake venom is actually modified saliva. Snakes use venom to immobilise and digest prey, and as a defence against threats.
6) Snake venom has the ability to cure. Snake venom components are used for developing certain muscle relaxants, analgesics, and drugs for neurodegenerative disorders.
7) Some snake species give birth to developed young ones instead of laying eggs. Russell’s viper is one of them.
8) Evolution has gifted some snake species infrared vision, also known as heat vision. It helps these cold-blooded reptiles track warm-blooded prey by sensing the heat they emit from their bodies.
9) Snakes have poor eyesight and limited hearing, but they have an impeccable sense of smell. Did you know that snakes smell with their tongues? Snake tongue grabs chemical compounds (that smells are made of) from air, water and ground. That’s why snakes keep flicking their tongues out.
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