Slithering Satan???

"My very opening article is about this gentle, yet legendary creature of our planet: the snake. I've started with this article because, all over the world, this ecstatic creature is in the apex of misconception."


"First they are cowards. Next they are bluffers. Then they are warriors."




The above said phrase is very true when it comes to snakes. Unbelievable??? Well, believe it! Mythologies have always projected the serpent as the BAD GUY since the day Eve ate that apple from the damned tree of knowledge.

It is also pretty easy to see why snakes are a symbol of evil in Man's eyes in the today's world. They're legless, scaly, slithering all the time, they have scary fangs and so on. Some snakes like the BLACK MAMBA can even stand as tall as an average human being. They're fast, striking many a blow in a single second. They're poisonous, killing or paralyzing a huge animal in seconds and they seem to be unscrupulous.

CREEPY!

Snakes look creepy only because they use a different way of locomotion than used by other creatures. But there's a secret to it that not many of us know. Due to this trait, snakes have the ability to out swim a fish and out climb a monkey. Rosy Boas can crawl vertical rock faces. Sidewinders move sideways across desert sand dunes. Black mambas are the fastest of snakes moving at 10 to 16 kmph of speed.

SCARY EYES AND TONGUE!

Well just think of James Bond or Ethan Hunt. Imagine the cool gadgets these agents have with them:

• A night vision goggles.
• Infra red heat sensors.

Well, believe it or not, a snake has got it all. And it has got something these agents have not : Chemical sensing. It can track down its prey using the chemicals left behind by it. Cool !!!


As for the tongue, it is used to taste the air for a possible meal. Well, if you're near a serpent and you see it flickering it's tongue, the snake is just getting to know you. It captures your odour molecules and thus deciding if you are a prey, a predator or just a mate.

HISSING, RATTLING AND TOWERING:

Snakes can definitely look and sound scary but only if they want to. Snakes are not aggressive by nature, in contrast they're actually REACTIVE. They just try to protect themselves of possible enemies by warning them. Rattle snakes warn enemies using their rattles and Cobras raise their hoods. They basically want to catch your attention before you trample over them.

FINAL WORDS:

If you do nothing, the snakes will surely try to get away, and if they warn you are try to strike at you its only because they feel threatened because of your presence.


So what to do if you are faced with a deadly snake? The best ting you could probably do is to do absolutely NOTHING and let the snake get away.

MESSAGE: In India, Cobras are used for street entertainment by poor people in order to earn a living. The snake's fangs are removed, just in case it bites. But its the fangs that release venom and the venom is used by the cobra and other snakes to digest their meals. Without the fangs, and in turn the venom, you cant expect the snake to live more than a week.
So next time, you watch any such street shows involving snakes and especially cobras, please don't contribute.