(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat -
Conservationists around the world have set aside a day for a species that is not just fascinating but also one that mainly evokes fear – the snake - on July 16. So why mark a day for the creature that many think are venomous?
Marked world over on July 16 every year, World Snake Day was created to spread awareness regarding the reptile and its significance in the food chain.
On the occasion, Muscat Daily spoke to the research department in the Nizwa University to find out about snakes endemic to Oman and bust some common myths surrounding them. There are 22 snake species in Oman and most of them are found in Dakhliyah, Salalah and the Batinah region. While most of these snakes are harmless, only nine to ten are the poisonous variety, said Ahmed al Busaidi, a researcher at the Natural and Medical Sciences Centre.
'Snakes are an important part of the food chain. They eat rats, birds and are eaten by fox and other bigger animals. This helps maintain a balance in the nature and the environment. In Oman, there are about ten dangerous snakes found mostly in the seas and there are six which are endangered.'
Snakes are often killed because of fear. People often step on them and they hiss. In panic they get killed. Another cause of their dwindling population is urbanisation, Busaidi said. 'Snakes attack only in two cases: fear and self defence. Until now there has been no record of deaths due to snake bites in the country recently, though there have been reports of people being hospitalised for a brief duration. But with the help of anti-venom they recovered soon. Big animals like Arabian leopards, hyenas, wolves have often fallen prey to snakes but there are few records.'
Snakes breed during the summers and hibernate in caves and rocks during the winter season. Oman has several varieties of snakes. 'In Oman you can find them in water, caves, rock, sand, trees and wadis,' he added.
Snakes normally grow from one to two metres in Oman. The ever-active Arabian cobra that grows up to 2m is found in south Salalah, said Busaidi.
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