snakes in india essay
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Answer:
Snakes are a very specialised group of Reptiles under order Ophidia. Nearly 3,000 species of snakes are now found in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world. Out of these about 300 are Poisonous and others are Non-Poisonous. WHO has estimated that thirty to forty thousand people die annually of snake bite. Snakes are not found in New Zealand and Ireland.
Snakes are slender and elongated reptiles without limbs, eyelids and external ears. The whole body is covered with epidermal scales and shields. The scales and small and usually overlap each other but the shields are large and join each other by their margins. Shields are prominent on the head. The occipital condyle is single and tripartite.
The lower jaw is attached to the skull with the help of quadrate which articulates in such a movable fashion that the jaw can move laterally and downwards. The two halves, of the lower jaw are loosely articulated. All these are special adaptation for- its peculiar feeding habit.
The teeth are conical, recurved backward and fixed on jaw bones. In poisonous snakes two maxillary teeth (one on either side) become enlarged and pointed to form the Fangs. There are two types of fangs—open type and closed type according to the nature of the groove.
In poisonous snakes the labial glands have become modified into poison glands and these do not help them in digestion. The tongue is bifid at the apex. Left lung is reduced. Urinary bladder is absent. Most snakes are terrestrial. Few are arboreal and aquatic.
Cobra: There are about 10 species of cobras of which two are found in India. ...
Krait: Kraits (Naja bungarus) is smaller in size compared to the cobras and measures 1-1-25 metre. ...
Vipers: These are rather large and stout snakes. ...
Poison Apparatus: The poison apparatus consists of a pair of poison glands and a pair of fangs.
Explanation: