The Big Four Indian Snakes
Habish Ribin Haneef
The Earth is home to almost 3,400 living species of snakes. Except in Antarctica, snakes have established populations in fossorial, terrestrial, arboreal, and aquatic environments across all continents. With exceptional biological diversity, India is home to a wide variety of snake species. Nearly, 300 species of snakes are found in India and among these more than 60 species are venomous, more than 40 species are mildly venomous and around 180 species are non-venomous. It is reported that over 64,000 people die of snake bites each year in India. The most common venomous snakes in India are King Cobra, Indian Spectacled Cobra, Russel’s Viper, Indian Krait, Saw Scaled Viper, Pit Viper, Banded Krait, Bamboo Pit Viper, Hump Nosed Pit Viper, and Andaman Pit Viper. Among these, there are four snakes that are responsible for the majority of human deaths in India. These snakes are called “the big four” and the snakes that comes under this category are Indian Spectacled Cobra, Russel’s Viper, Saw-Scaled Viper, and the Common Krait. Do you know which is the deadliest snake among all these? Do you know the features and characteristics of all these snakes? Well, in this blog, let’s discuss about the big four and their features.
Indian Spectacled Cobra:
Scientific Name: Naja naja
Higher Classification: Cobras
Rank: Species
Family: Elapidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Squamata
Phylum: Chordata
The Indian Spectacled Cobra is also called Asian Cobra and Binocellate Cobra. The spectacled Cobra is highly venomous and is responsible for many deaths in India due to snake bite. It got the name spectacled cobra due to a distinctive mark on the hood. These species can be easily identified by their characteristic hood, which they expand when provoked or threatened. It also produces a hiss sound. The Indian Cobra has two hollow short fangs in the upper jaw and it is using these fangs they inject venom on their prey. The spectacled cobra are oviparous (means female cobras lay eggs) and they lays around 10 to 40 eggs. Throughout their range, these snakes exhibit tremendous variation in colour and pattern. The ventral scales of these species can be grey, yellow, tan, brown, red or black in colour. The dorsal scales consist of a hood mark or colour patterns. They grow up to 1.5 metres in length. The Indian Cobra is revered in Indian mythology and culture. They are also seen with snake charmers. Indian Cobras are found in the Indian subcontinent and can be seen in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Southern Nepal. They inhabit a wide range of habitats throughout their geographical range. Their habitats include dense or open forests, plains, agricultural lands, wetlands, rocky terrain, and even heavily populated areas.
Russel’s Viper:
Scientific Name: Daboia russelii
Higher Classification: Daboia
Rank: Species
Family: Viperidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Squamata
Phylum: Chordata
The Russel’s Viper is also known as chain viper and is highly venomous. Among snake bites, it is due to the Russel’s Viper’s bite more people have lost their lives in India. Russel’s Viper is named after Patrick Russel, a Scottish herpetologist who gave a detailed account of many snakes in India. These species grows up to 1.6 metres in length and have a triangular head. The Russel’s Viper is generally yellowish-brown in colour and have dark blotches. They produces a loud hissing sound when provoked or threatened. Their venom can cause necrosis which means the death of most or all of the cells in an organ or tissue. These snakes are ovoviviparous where the females give birth to about 20 to 40 offspring. They feeds on rodents, small reptiles, and even small invertebrates. These species are found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Tibet, Taiwan, Indonesia, and China. The Russel’s Viper are mostly found in open, grassy or bushy areas, forested plantations, and farmland. Because of the abundance of rodents, they are also found in highly urbanized areas and settlements in the countryside. They are not found in humid environments like marshes, swamps, and rainforests.
Saw-Scaled Viper:
Scientific Name: Echis
Higher Classification: Vipers
Rank: Genus
Family: Viperidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Squamata
Phylum: Chordata
The Saw-Scaled viper is also known as Carter Viper and is native to Asia. The saw-scaled viper is the smallest among the big four and is responsible for many snakebite cases and deaths. The saw-scaled viper is named so due to the strongly keeled scales on its sides. When provoked or threatened, these snakes moulds into a tight “S” shape and as a result of this their scales are rubbed together ultimately producing a sound similar to that of a working saw machine. They grows up to 0.6 metres and their body colour varies from grey or brown to olive and contains dark patterns throughout. The saw-scaled viper feeds on lizards, frogs, rodents, and invertebrates. Similar to the Russel’s Viper, the saw-scales viper is also ovoviviparous and the female snakes give birth to about 3 to 15 offspring. The saw-scaled vipers are mainly found in Indian Subcontinent and in parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. In Indian Subcontinent, they are found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. In the Middle East, they are found in Oman, Iraq, Eastern parts of United Arab Emirates, and Southwestern Iran. In Central Asia, they are found in Afghanisthan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. Their habitats include deserts, semi-deserts, rainforest, dry and moist deciduous forest, scrubland, and grassland. They are also found in agricultural fields, scrubs, rocky terrain, and open plains.
Common Krait:
Scientific Name: Bungarus caeruleus
Higher Classification: Indian Krait
Rank: Species
Family: Elapidae
Kingdom: Animalia
Order: Squamata
Phylum: Chordata
The Common Krait is also called Blue Krait and is highly venomous. These snakes are generally black or bluish-black in colour and have about 40 thin, white crossbars which may be indistinct or absent anteriorly. These snakes have a flat and blunt head and a short, rounded tail. They grows up to 1 metre in length. The body of the common krait is triangular in cross-section which helps it to slither through marshes and wetlands. The common krait is oviparous and the female snake lays nearly a dozen eggs. The bites of these snakes are painless and the venom it release is neurotoxic. Even though the venom is neurotoxic, if not treated with antivenom, it can lead to huge consequences in the human nervous system. They feeds on small mammals like rats, lizards, and frogs. These snakes are native to Indian Subcontinent and are found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal. Their habitats include semi-desert, fields and low scrub jungle, rocky areas, cultivated land, suburban gardens, and settled areas.
Read more:Anne Frank
Check your knowledge
Answer. Indian Spectacled Cobra, Russel’s Viper, Saw-Scaled Viper, and Common Krait
Answer.The death of most or all of the cells in an organ or tissue
Answer. Neurotoxic venom