ఈ రోజు ప్రత్యేకత మీ పిల్లలకు తెలియచేయండి: July 16: World Snake
Day
ఈ భూమ్మీద సమస్త జీవరాశుల్లో సర్పాలు ఉన్నాయి. కానీ, మనుషుల భయాలు, అపోహలతో
వాటి జనాభా తగ్గిపోతూ వస్తోంది. ఇది ఎంతవరకు సరైందన్నది పక్కనపెడితే..
చాలామందిలో చెడును చెప్పడానికి ‘పాములాంటోడు’ అని వర్ణిస్తుంటారు. కానీ, అవి
అంత ప్రమాదకరమైనవి మాత్రం కావు.
ఈ భూమ్మీద దాదాపు 4 వేల జాతుల దాకా పాములు ఉన్నాయి. ఎప్పటికప్పుడు కొత్తగా
కనుగొంటూ పోతున్నారు. ఈ మొత్తంలో 650కి(25 శాతం) పైగా జాతులు మాత్రమే
విషపూరితమైనవని సైంటిస్టులు ఇప్పటిదాకా(జులై 7 రిపోర్ట్‌ ప్రకారం) గుర్తించారు.
అందులోనూ 200 జాతుల(10 శాతం) పాముల నుంచి మాత్రమే మనిషికి ముప్పు ఉంటోందని
తేల్చారు. కానీ, అవేం పట్టించుకోకుండా కనిపిస్తే చంపేస్తూ.. వాటి జనాభాను
తగ్గించేస్తున్నారు. అందుకే వాటి పరిరక్షణ కోసం, పాములన్నీ ప్రమాదకరమైనవి కాదని
జనాల్లో అవగాహన కల్పించాలని.. అందుకోసం ఓ రోజు ఉండాలని జులై 16న వరల్డ్‌
స్నేక్‌ డే ను నిర్వహిస్తున్నారు కొందరు(స్నేక్‌ సొసైటీలు). ప్రతీ ఏడాది ఇదే
థీమ్‌తో ముందుకు సాగుతున్నారు.
Snakes have gotten something of a bad rap over the past few thousand years.
What with that one snake tricking that nice lady into eating an apple way
back when, thus condemning the entire human race to mortality, snakes have
been mistrusted if not flat-out feared.
And while it is understandable that people may fear an animal that can
easily kill them, we think these fascinating, diverse creatures that range
from several inches to 30 feet long, and from friendly and docile to
aggressive and deadly, deserve for people to find out more about them.
Learn about World Snake Day
World Snake Day is an important day when it comes to increasing awareness
about the different species of snake all around the world. Snakes tend to
have a negative connotation. A lot of people are scared of snakes, and of
course, we can definitely understand the reasons why! No one likes the
thought of being gobbled up by a snake, do they? Plus, when someone is
two-faced or a bad person, they are often referred to as snakes. However,
snakes are great creatures and they are so important to the world that we
live in.
Did you know that there are more than 3,5000 species of a snake around the
world? Because of this, it is not going to be a challenge for you to find a
snake that fascinates you and interests you that you may not have heard of
before, even if you are someone who is interested in snakes and you have a
pet snake of your own! So, this is one of the good reasons why to research
snakes and learn more about them on this date. After all, there is so much
that you can learn!
Of the 3,500 species of a snake around the world, there are only around 600
that are venomous. This is less than 25 percent of snakes! There are only
200 species of snake that pose a considerable risk to human life as well.
Therefore, snakes are nowhere near as worrying or scary as we think they
are. Of course, this does not mean that you should go up and start petting
any snake that you come across! However, it is definitely something to think
about. Perhaps we give these animals a much harder time than they
deserve?
History of World Snake Day
The snake is one of the oldest mythological characters and has been revered
by civilizations the world over. There are about 3,458 species of snakes
known so far, ranging from the semi-frozen tundra of northern Canada to the
steamy jungles of the equator and most of the world’s oceans. Snakes are
highly effective predators and play a vital role in maintaining the balance
of nature in each of these realms. Snakes are also fascinating in that they
have a prehistoric lineage, thus giving us a glimpse back to a prehistoric
time when the earth was ruled by reptiles—many people have no idea that
modern reptiles are literally the living, breathing cousins of
dinosaurs.
The species that seem to fascinate people the most are the King Cobra, the
largest venomous snake in the world most people have seen in movies being
coaxed out of a basket by a snake charmer; the Rattlesnake, that has forced
countless people to suck its poison out of the bite before it’s too late;
and the Reticulated Python, the world’s longest snake that kills its prey by
strangling it.
World Snake Day was created to help people learn more about these animals
and how much they contribute to the world as we know it.
How to celebrate World Snake Day
Have you ever thought about having a pet snake? Snakes may not be the right
pet for everyone, but if you have it in you to take on the challenge it is
to own and care for a pet snake, World Snake Day may be the time to make
that decision. If not, however, you can take advantage of this day to learn
some more about these incredible animals. Here are some interesting facts to
help you do that:
Where do snakes live?
Snakes are found in every continent except Antarctica in the sea, forests,
deserts, prairies, and even your backyard or garage.
What do snakes eat?
Snakes consume many different animals including insects small rodents and
frogs. Snakes eat their prey whole because their lower jaw can separate from
the upper jaw. Very large snakes can even eat small deer, pigs, monkeys, and
even primates.
How do snakes behave?
Snakes rely on the environment to regulate their body temperature. They
spend as long in the warm sun as they need to in order to get warm, and when
they become too warm, they find shade to cool off. They are generally not
aggressive unless they are hunting or feel like they need to defend
themselves. They shed their skin three to six times a year.
How do they defend themselves?
Snakes use a variety of techniques defend themselves, including camouflage,
biting and envenoming those they feel are threatening them. Sometimes they
simply curl up in a tight ball to hopefully avoid being seen.
Why are some snakes endangered?
Fortunately, snakes are not widely hunted, but their numbers are still
declining due to deforestation and climate change causing the deterioration
of their habitats and a declining amount of available prey.
As mentioned earlier, there are many different species of snakes, and so
you can spend some time learning about them and their various qualities and
features. For example, the Barbados thread snake is the smallest snake in
the world. This serpent is actually smaller than a nightcrawler, coming in
at only approximately four inches. In terms of the heaviest snake, this
honor goes to the green anaconda. The reticulated python is the longest
snake in the world. If you spend some time doing a bit of reading, we are
sure that you will be fascinated with the results.
