Snakes occupy a special niche in the mythological and cultural heritage of India, representing spirituality, rebirth, and power in different traditions. The country's variety and unpredictability of ecosystems and its favourable climate make it a perfect place for many species of snakes to thrive. It is difficult to identify any single state with the largest number of snakes, but there are states particularly known for their snake population. The following is a closer examination of the Indian states best known to be snakes and snake-filled and diverse.
Indian snake communities inhabited varied terrain extending from the Western Ghats to the Himalayan foothills and from North-East to Central India. Kerala, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and India's North-East region are famous for having rich and diversified snake fauna. Snakes not only dominate India's eco-life, but they also become problematic, mostly snakebites. Documentation and conservation of snake populations and advocating safety measures will usher in a peaceful co-existence of human beings and reptiles in India.
Key snake habitats across India
India's widespread and varied terrain—running the whole gamut from dense jungle and marsh to dry grassland—can support an astonishingly diverse population of snakes. Its states, so different from one another in terms of characteristic habitat, form a reptile-diverse nation. Some of the key snake habitats with large snake populations are given below:
Western Ghats, which spread across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, are high-biodiversity regions, one of the most obvious features of which is the sheer abundance of snakes. There are some venomous and non-venomous forms that exist in these regions. Both Kerala and Karnataka are rare in the sense that both possess very high loads of snakes, especially in tropical dense forest and wetland ecosystems.
This Karnataka town is also called the "Cobra Capital of India." Agumbe boasts a massive count of Indian Cobras and is now a herpetologists' haven and snakes' paradise of the region.
The extraordinary biota of the Western Ghats such as rainforests and mountains lends itself well to supporting snake habitat, and because of this fact, it stands as one of the most heavily populated destinations of snakes in the country.
Uttarakhand, with its Himalayan foothills, is home to more than 30 species of snakes. The state's heterogeneous landscape of forests, grasslands, and mountains gives rise to a heterogeneous fauna of reptiles. Venomous species: Uttarakhand is particularly renowned to have some of the venomous species of snakes like cobras, vipers, and kraits. Venomous species proliferate well in the fertile ecosystem of the state and allow the state to have a very dense population of snakes.
The reason why the state is adjacent to the Himalayan region also ensures that the climate is very cold, and it is this that draws snakes which thrive in a temperate belt.
North-Eastern States
The North-Eastern part of India, Meghalaya and Nagaland, harbors some of the richest snake population in the country. With the humid weather and heavy forest cover in the two states, reptiles have perfect conditions to breed.
The valleys of forests in this area are mountainous and provide habitat where it is suitable for many species of snakes to live.
Central India comprising states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand comprises diversified ecosystems with a vast population of snakes. The grasslands, valley tracts, and forests of these states are the most suitable homes for many species of snakes.
Challenge of snakebites in India
Because of this enormous number of species of snakes, India is also burdened with the problem of snakebites. India has thousands of cases of snakebites every year, mostly occurring in rural areas where there are human-snake interactions. The agricultural and forest states with massive numbers of snakes have a higher rate.
Prevention and awareness: Despite increased awareness, snakebites are among the primary reasons for deaths in rural India.
Also Read | King cobra vs Silverback gorilla: Know the key differences on the basis of strength, venom, diet and who would win in a fight
Indian snake communities inhabited varied terrain extending from the Western Ghats to the Himalayan foothills and from North-East to Central India. Kerala, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and India's North-East region are famous for having rich and diversified snake fauna. Snakes not only dominate India's eco-life, but they also become problematic, mostly snakebites. Documentation and conservation of snake populations and advocating safety measures will usher in a peaceful co-existence of human beings and reptiles in India.
Key snake habitats across India
India's widespread and varied terrain—running the whole gamut from dense jungle and marsh to dry grassland—can support an astonishingly diverse population of snakes. Its states, so different from one another in terms of characteristic habitat, form a reptile-diverse nation. Some of the key snake habitats with large snake populations are given below:
- Western Ghats
Western Ghats, which spread across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, are high-biodiversity regions, one of the most obvious features of which is the sheer abundance of snakes. There are some venomous and non-venomous forms that exist in these regions. Both Kerala and Karnataka are rare in the sense that both possess very high loads of snakes, especially in tropical dense forest and wetland ecosystems.
- Agumbe, Karnataka
This Karnataka town is also called the "Cobra Capital of India." Agumbe boasts a massive count of Indian Cobras and is now a herpetologists' haven and snakes' paradise of the region.
The extraordinary biota of the Western Ghats such as rainforests and mountains lends itself well to supporting snake habitat, and because of this fact, it stands as one of the most heavily populated destinations of snakes in the country.
- Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand, with its Himalayan foothills, is home to more than 30 species of snakes. The state's heterogeneous landscape of forests, grasslands, and mountains gives rise to a heterogeneous fauna of reptiles. Venomous species: Uttarakhand is particularly renowned to have some of the venomous species of snakes like cobras, vipers, and kraits. Venomous species proliferate well in the fertile ecosystem of the state and allow the state to have a very dense population of snakes.
The reason why the state is adjacent to the Himalayan region also ensures that the climate is very cold, and it is this that draws snakes which thrive in a temperate belt.
North-Eastern States
The North-Eastern part of India, Meghalaya and Nagaland, harbors some of the richest snake population in the country. With the humid weather and heavy forest cover in the two states, reptiles have perfect conditions to breed.
- Nagaland: Nagaland is home to 65 snake species, including venomous ones. It is one of the most snake-rich states. Nagaland is extremely forested and has varied habitats that provide a great niche for different species of snakes.
- Meghalaya: It is also replete with snake diversity. New venomous species have even been discovered in recent research, making the area an even more diverse habitat for snakes.
The valleys of forests in this area are mountainous and provide habitat where it is suitable for many species of snakes to live.
- Central India
Central India comprising states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand comprises diversified ecosystems with a vast population of snakes. The grasslands, valley tracts, and forests of these states are the most suitable homes for many species of snakes.
- Venomous species: Central India harbors a lot of venomous species like cobras, vipers, and Indian Russell's Viper. They are normally infesting forests, grasslands, and farm lands of such states.
- Widespread distribution: The diversified topography of Central India provides a snakes' habitat in many types of settings ranging from arid deciduous forests to wetland environments, thus making it a highly snake-infested region.
Challenge of snakebites in India
Because of this enormous number of species of snakes, India is also burdened with the problem of snakebites. India has thousands of cases of snakebites every year, mostly occurring in rural areas where there are human-snake interactions. The agricultural and forest states with massive numbers of snakes have a higher rate.
Prevention and awareness: Despite increased awareness, snakebites are among the primary reasons for deaths in rural India.
Also Read | King cobra vs Silverback gorilla: Know the key differences on the basis of strength, venom, diet and who would win in a fight
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