Amravati the land of Snakes

Kunwar Abhishek Bhagat

Amravati

Amravati district has hilly regions in the north and northeastern borders. These regions adjoin the Burhanpur, Betul and Chhindwara forests. The other parts of the district are dry and have a black cotton soil. In fact there seems to be a perpetual scarcity of water in and around Amravati. Looking to this nature of the terrain therefore it is no wonder that a number of snakes are found in the north while the south seems to confine to Cobra, Russels Viper, Rat snake and the Checkered black. In the hilly north there is a likelihood of the prevalence of the rough tailed snake also. Snake bite cases are few and far between in the south and are mostly confined to the cobras. The bite normally expected is that by a cobra which has a neurotoxin poison. If a poisonous snake has bitten and a sufficient lethal dose of venom injected, then the patient can only be saved by an antivenin. In cases of sub-lethal dose and non-poisonous snake bites, the patients can be cured by psychological treatments.

At Amravati University one can find both venomous and non-venomous snakes, but one cannot say that non venomous snakes not kill humans, but they are indeed deadly non-poisons, as man would die after the bite when his blood is flown of the body.

Types of the non venomous snakes at Amravati:-

Checkered Keelback: - This type of snake has checkered back and lives in water and it has very developed lungs and in Amravati they are second commonest found snake can live without oxygen for 10-15 mins .

Rat snake: - This is locally known as Dhaman. It is a long snake growing to about nine feet and is seen all over the district. There are big yellowish brown marks on its body as also in the tail region and at the sides. This snake is harmless, but is often mistaken to be poisonous. This snake feeds on rats and as such it is also called a rat snake.

Viper:- This snake is also non-venomous and is found in the hilly area of Melghat and nearby Malabar / Western ghats, it is also believed that if one get bitten by this snake and he would not survive as the same case with the Checked keelback. This short snake with blunt tail is found all over the district. It is locally called Dutondya. It has brown irregular patches on its grey body. This snake is very sluggish and grows to about two and a half feet. It feeds on frogs, lizards and mice and is absolutely harmless. It may be mistaken to be the young one of a python. The latter is pink and is much thicker with a tine tapering tail.

 Python: - This snake is locally called Ajgar and is found in thick forests. It grows to a length of fourteen feet. There are brown patches on its grey body and has a pink head and faint brown lower sides. It is omnivorous and feeds on anything living which it kills by constriction.

Kraite :- This brown snake with thick pale cross bars on the body is found near human habitations and in gardens. It is often mistaken for a crate. It is harmless and feeds on insects and frogs.

Wolf snake:- This wolf snake is quite common all over the district. It grows to about two feet and is mistaken for a crate. It is harmless and is brown coloured with whitish cross bars.

Water snake: - it is also no venomous. And it has triangular head with a thick tail.

Red sand boa:- Adapted to burrowing, the head is wedge-shaped with narrow nostrils and very small eyes. The body is cylindrical in shape with small polished scales. The tail, which is blunt, rounded and not distinct from the body, appears truncated. Coloration varies from reddish-brown to dull yellow-tan

Bended racer:- Snout obtuse, curved and prominent; rostral large, broader than wide, the portion visible from above more than half its length from the front.

Smooth back:- A slender snake, the dorsal surface is usually grey or brownish with a double row of brown or black spots. These spots sometimes appear fused giving a crossbar effect. The flanks may also have a single row of spotting. The back spots can also be joined down the back forming 2 longitudinal stripes down the body. Stripes and bars can also occur for just short parts of the markings with the double row being present as normal on other areas. Ventral surface is grey, brown, appearing uniform or mottled with white, the sides of the belly are usually whitish. The throat and forepart of the belly usually appear lighter.
Stripes Keelback:- The  buff striped keelback is a species of nonvenomous  snake found across Asia. It is a typically nonaggressive snake that feeds on frogs and toads and is closely related to water snakes and grass snakes. It pretty much resembles an Asian version of the American garter snake. It is quite a common snake but is rarey seen.

Under venmous catergory in Amravati

Venomous snakes have a bad reputation worldwide, the dact is that only 20% of the snakes on the earth are venomous. This leaves approximately 80% who who hunt using something other than venom to subdue their prey.Snake venom is a cocktail of proteins that perform a wide range of functions.

There are different types of snake venoms are:-

Hemotoxic:- venom act at theheart and cardiovascular system
Neaurotoxic:-venom acts at the nervous system and brain.


There are three hemotoxic Viper: - The viper snake is very colorful and robust. The viper snake in the rain forest lives in wet places and also in mountains in small caves. Their bright colors in their skin help them survive.

The viper snake is a very short snake compared to most of the other type of snakes. She is 50 to 65cm long. But the viper snake has a very robust body. The viper snake has red and some have brown eyes they have yellow skin but some are also green. This color helps the viper snake camouflage. The viper snake lives in the forest floor.

The viper snake mainly lives in places that are wet in the rainforest like woodlands; riverbanks, bogs and also they live in mountains. The snake adapts by; they hang with their tail to a branch and catch their prey. Another way is when a bird passes the viper snake camouflages in the bushes and captures the bird. The viper snake mainly eats amphibians and the snake can stay a whole year without eating.
The diet of the viper snake is amphibians, small mammals, lizards and nestling. The way the snake kills its prey to eat it is, first they capture the prey and puts their venom in the prey and they wait for the effect of the venom and then it eats it. The snake protects itself by camouflage and also with their bite.

Bamboo peet viper:- snakes belong to the reptilian order squamata.  Absence of eyelids, external ear openings, and limbs distinguishes them from their relative, the lizard.  Snakes are carnivorous, with an acute sense of sight and smell. ‘Serpentine’ (A method of progression by the lateral undulations of the body.) locomotion, ‘sensory pits’(A sense organ sensitive to heat radiation, thus assisting in locating and capturing of prey) and the ‘poison glands’(Modified salivary glands which secret poison, a mixture of cell dissolving proteins.  It’s a weapon for capturing prey, defense and as a digestive aid) are unique to snakes.

Neurotoxic venom snakes:-

Crate: - The body colour varies from a dark steely blue-black to a pale faded bluish grey. The average length is 1 m (39 in.). Subcaudal scales after the anal plate are not divided. It has large hexagonal scales running down its spine. The narrow white cross bands are more prominent near the tail region.The male is larger than the female and also has a longer tail.

Cobra:- The Indian Cobra is known around the world as highly venomous snake that feeds on rodents, lizards, and frogs. As well as biting, the Indian cobra can attack or defend itself from a distance by "spitting" venom, which, if it enters the opponent's eyes, causes severe pain and damage. The snake actually forces the venom through its fangs, by exerting muscular pressure on the venom glands, so that it sprays out in twin jets for 2 m (6 1/2 ft) or more.