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Science says that reptiles are unable to digest many dairy products including milk.

As Nag Panchami approaches, the number of misconceptions related to snakes starts increasing on social media. People believe him easily. There are similar misconceptions, like snakes drink milk. In case of simultaneous death, his other partner takes revenge. The hearing ability of a snake is very sharp. Science says, most things are the opposite. That means there is no truth in them. But now let us understand what their whole truth is.

One of the oldest and most prevalent myths in the world is that snakes drink milk. Science says that reptiles are unable to digest many dairy products including milk. The snake does not like to drink milk. This can also happen when he is thirsty, he can drink not only milk but other liquids. But drinking milk is not part of his normal behavior.

The tradition of feeding milk to snakes on the occasion of Nag Panchami actually harms the snakes. This has a bad effect on their digestive system.

There is a tradition of feeding milk to a snake on Nag Panchami. Photo: AI Generated

Do snakes come back for revenge?

This illusion has been created by the stories of Indian films and TV serials. It was shown in the stories that the serpent takes revenge for the death of her companion. Many people accept this as true. Science says that snakes do not have any kind of social bond, nor the intelligence or memory to recognize or remember an attacker. Two snakes are usually seen together only during breeding season, at other times the bigger snake can also eat the smaller snake.

How true is the statement about the snake dancing after hearing the snake charmer's charm?

This myth is ingrained in the mind of every Indian since childhood, but the reality is different. Snakes do not have eardrums like humans do, so they cannot hear the sound of a bean, but their ears do catch vibrations coming from the ground and, to some extent, low-frequency sound in the air. The movement of the snake charmer's bean moving back and forth actually brings the snake into action. The snake reacts not to sound but to movement.

Do snakes always live in pairs?

According to the report of Victoria Museum, the common people have a belief that wherever snakes go, they always go in pairs, this is not completely true. They neither live in pairs nor hunt in groups. Males and females meet only during the mating season. They live together for some time and then go their separate ways.

Remains alive even after being decapitated?

If a snake's head is cut off, it remains alive until the sun sets. This is especially prevalent in the rural areas of Australia. It may be possible that this story is based on the fact that even after the head is cut off, the snake's body continues to suffer for some time, but this story is not true at all.

Ankit Gupta

Born in Lucknow, the city of Nawabs. Graduated from DAV College and MBA from Punjab Technical University. The desire to write and the passion to know the story beyond the news brought me into journalism. Started his career in 2008 with Lucknow's first Hindi tabloid 'Lucknow Lead'. Tried my hand in the features section. Then he joined Dainik Jagran's iNext from Gorakhpur, the city of Baba Gorakhnath. Joined the Jaipur head office of Rajasthan Patrika in 2013 for reporting on city news and health magazine. After spending about 5 years here, I reached Dainik Bhaskar's Bhopal head office in 2018 for a new beginning in the digital world. Got hold of research, explainer, data story and infographic. The most complex news of health and science explained in simple words. Said goodbye to Dainik Bhaskar in 2021 and joined the digital wing of TV9 Group. Currently working in TV9, I am heading the 'Knowledge' section as an Assistant News Editor. There is focus and interest on explainer, data and research stories.

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