Snakes are coming out not in search of heat, but in search of cool place, food and water. Being ‘cold-blooded’ they cannot regulate their body temperature. This is also their breeding season.
OfWith the increase in incidents of snake bites in Rajasthan, a debate has arisen on whether the snakes are coming out due to the heat. Meanwhile, entomologist and vlogger Vijayakumar Blathur has given important information in this regard. He told in his Facebook post that nowadays snakes are not seen much because the heat has increased, rather they are coming out in search of coolness and food. When there is drought all around, they come in search of water and coolness. He clarified that snakes are not like us that when it gets hot, they get restless inside the hole and come out for air. If heat was the reason, snakes would have come out more during the day.
Vijayakumar explained that snakes are ‘cold-blooded’ creatures. This means that they cannot control their body temperature themselves. Their body temperature keeps changing according to the surrounding environment. However, if they get too much sun, they may move to shady areas to cool off.
What was written in the Facebook post?
There is a small misunderstanding! Nowadays it is being discussed a lot that due to increasing heat, snakes are coming out of their holes. It is a bit wrong to think that snakes also feel heat like we do. When it is hot, we become restless, turn on the fan or AC, and if these things are not there in the room, we go out. Humidity in the air further increases our problems. That is why even a temperature of 38 degrees feels like 40.
We humans are ‘warm-blooded’ creatures. We have to maintain our body temperature within a certain range, otherwise our internal organs may get damaged. When it is cold outside, our body keeps itself warm by increasing metabolism. When it’s hot, the body tries to cool itself by sweating. That is why we need more food in winter and more water in summer.
But ‘cold-blooded’ creatures like snakes cannot control their own body temperature. They neither sweat nor shiver from cold. We mammals and birds maintain our body temperature with the energy we get from eating food, but snakes cannot do this. Their body becomes hot or cold according to the surrounding temperature.
Not only snakes, lizards, chameleons, crocodiles, frogs, fish, turtles and insects are also cold-blooded. In scientific language, these are called ‘ectothermic’ organisms. Like us, they do not come out to get air at night due to heat. If that were the case then they would be more visible during the day. In the morning they sunbathe to warm their bodies, which is called ‘basking’. This activates their muscles. You must have seen the chameleon sunbathing on the fence with its mouth open. Crocodiles also come and lie down on the rocks to sunbathe. When the heat gets too hot, they hide in cool places, cracks or under leaves to avoid direct sunlight.
When the outside temperature drops, their body also cools. When the environment is hot, the body also becomes hot. Because they do not have to expend energy to keep their bodies warm, they require much less food than warm-blooded creatures of similar size. This is the reason why a snake eats food only once a week or once a month.
Nowadays, heat is not the only reason for snakes being seen outside. They come out in search of cool places and their prey (like rat, lizard). When there is drought around, they also come in search of water and coolness. It is also the breeding season for snakes. The hatchlings spread far and wide to avoid competition for food. And yes, even the babies of poisonous snakes have enough venom to kill a human being.