Venomous Beauty

Photography has made me realize that even the most feared things in this world can prove to be really beautiful subjects. Photos can change your perception towards something you fear.


Snakes are feared by many people especially in a country like India. Here snakes are in great numbers and due to their conflict with humans cause many deaths every year.


I have been always fascinated with snakes. I never feared them as my curiosity to know them was immense. Two years back i met this guy named Ninad Manjure who was into herpetology. I learnt a lot about snakes from him. He taught me everything from identifying to handling snakes.


In these two years I have realized that there is a lot more in snakes than just being creepy. Each snake is so different from the other. Some are aggressive, some are extremely harmless. (To an extent where they won't bite even if you sit on them). Even among the aggressive ones, their aggression is unique. The cobra will warn you before biting by spreading it's hood, a Russell's viper will warn by letting out a high pitched whistle, where as a common krait strikes with no warning at all. Snakes possess really interesting characteristics. Like the hump nosed viper catches its prey by luring them with its tail which looks like a worm. Pit vipers actually have a thermal vision because of which they can see in the dark perfectly.


There is so much one can learn about snakes and for me, they never fail to amuse me. The snake in the picture was the first one I had rescued. It's a female Buff striped keelback. After the rescue it not only recovered well but also laid eggs. I was really lucky to see its babies hatch. The eggs cracking and the young snakes coming out into the world for the first time was an unforgettable sight and being able to look after the eggs and finally watching them hatch gave me immense satisfaction. No matter what people think about these reptiles, I know for a fact that they are really beautiful. People need to know more and that will let them look at snakes from a different perspective.