Today India celebrates Nagara Panchami and it is considered to be a day for worshipping snake as we treat it as God and people have strong religious beliefs associated with. That is the greatness of we Indians treating animals as God but scientifically there are some myths about Snakes that most people are not aware of.
Myth 1 : Snakes drink milk
Snakes are cold blooded, carnivorous reptiles to whom milk is a heavy food to digest. Snakes drink milk on Nagara Panchami because they will be dehydrated and stressed for 30-45 days before Panchami by snake charmers. Only out of thirst it will drink milk and you know out of thirst it will drink tea or cola too.
Usually snakes don’t drink milk and it is not its main food.
Myth 2 : Snakes takes revenge and remembers it for 12 years
This myth seems to be true because of the movies however it is false. Snakes do not possess such intelligence to remember it for 12 years. If so herpetologists (people who study snakes and reptiles) would have been chased by snakes and none of them have seemed to have experienced it.
Myth 3 : Snake dance to the tunes of Snake charmers
Snakes basically cannot hear and they never dance to the tunes of Snake charmers. Snakes think that moving charmer and his instruments will attack them and hence they quickly change their position and start moving their head. That’s it. It looks like snake is dancing but actually it is not.
Myth 4 : Rat snakes cohabit with cobras
Both are two different species and snakes only cohabit with their own species. For them rat snake is a food and they never cohabit with them.
Myth 5 : Every Snakes lay eggs
Only the king cobra lay eggs not every snake. There are few species of snakes which lay eggs and they are known as oviparous.
Myth 6 : Snakes carry diamond on their forehead
Mythologically it may be true but till now one found a snake carrying diamond on its forehead. Scientifically it’s a myth.
Myth 7 : Snakes in India are poisonous and they spit venom
Only spitting Cobras can spit venom but fortunately, they are not found in India.
Our ancestors have made these myths and supported for a reason that one should not hurt snakes and few got spread by snake charmers as it is bread and butter for them.
Happy Nagar Panchami to all
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Very true facts about snakes,
appreciate.
I always thinking that all snakes are poisonous. Thanks for clearing my doubt.
Very well written but there’s a correction to myth no. 7. Recently it has been reported that monocle cobras found northern part of the country can spit venom
Source: herpetology review,Vishal Santra and wuster