Written by Eve Goddard, Transforming Lives Trainee
16th July is World Snake Day, we at Froglife already hold a great appreciation for our serpent friends, but why is a global day required and what are its goals?
Snakes are an ancient reptile, records show they have existed for at least 100 Million years. There are 3,900 known species of snake worldwide, where they inhabit every continent except Antarctica.
It’s easy to imagine that a fanged, forked tongue creature that moved without limbs would have captured the imaginations of early humans. In many cultures they were worshipped as gods, in more recent history and popular culture they have been vilified, think Garden of Eden, Medusa, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Anaconda, Snakes on a Plane. As the human population grows and the snakes’ habitats shrink it is now more important than ever to find a way to live side by side.
World Snake Day aims to shine a light on this and has three key goals:
To highlight how snakes help our ecosystems
It’s a surprisingly little known fact that snakes sit in the middle of food chains, not only do they eat a wide variety of small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and insects but are predated upon by birds of prey, hedgehogs, other snakes, owls and badgers to name a few. So their conservation supports entire ecosystems and helps endangered species.
Change the perception
Snakes are feared for their threat to humans, but less than a sixth of the 3,900 species are venomous and less than 200 species are able to kill a human. With education we can help identify those that pose no risk and live harmoniously with those that do. It is only the snake that can provide us anti-venom for snake bites after all!
To promote the conservation of snakes
Snakes are persecuted for their skin – used to make bags and shoes, they are also hunted as pests or for sport. Despite having adapted to a variety of terrestrial and aquatic environments, human habitat destruction and the effects of climate change mean many species are now endangered and are in need of our support.
How will you get involved this World Snake Day?
Raise awareness about our non-venomous snakes – post an image of one on your social media with the message that they pose no risk!
Do you know someone who has a soft spot for badgers, hedgehogs or owls? Let them know snakes provide an important food source for these species.
You could brush up on your UK snake knowledge here. And remember, if you do spot any when you are out and about, record them on our free Dragon Finder app