Today is Nag Panchami, a traditional day of worship of snakes or serpents observed by Hindus throughout India and also in Nepal. On the Nag Panchami day Nag, cobras, and snakes are worshiped with milk, sweets, flowers, lamps and even sacrifices. Images of Nag deities made of silver, stone, wood, or paintings on the wall are first bathed with water and milk and then worshiped with the reciting of mantras. The piety observed on this day is considered a sure protection against the fear of snake bite. At many places, real snakes are worshipped and fairs held. On this day digging the earth is taboo as it could kill or harm snakes which reside in the earth.

In the past people would gather serpents, and snake charmers would bring their finest snakes to the temples, but changes in India's laws have made snake charming and snake possession illegal, changing the way the event is celebrated for most. Though some still try to celebrate the old ways, authorities keep a watch over events, confiscating and releasing snakes used by the celebrants.

"It's the cobra and rat snakes that are most commonly displayed by snake charmers. We urge people to be alert and capture their pictures and alert the local police station or snake rescue helplines so that they can be nabbed and the snake be freed from torture." Nitin Walmiki - Eco-Echo

To read more about Nag Panchami click here!. kingsnake.com gallery photo by BakerReptiles

You're low crawling through the underbrush, geared up, M4 rifle in hand, helmet hanging low over your brow, and sweat dripping into your eyes. Then you see it.

Right in your path. A snake.

From the jungles of the Philippines and Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, members of the armed forces have long encountered snakes, often at the most inopportune times, and in the most inconvenient places.

“The students, they see them time and time again,” said Staff Sgt. Heath Hensley, a Ranger instructor and member of the reptile team. “You’ll hear them yell out ‘Snake!’ most of the time, and that starts a tactical pause.”

How does the military deal with this problem? Snake school.

Camp Rudder, part of the sprawling Eglin Air Force Base complex, is home to the U.S. Army Rangers reptile house, incorporated into training as students undergo the third and final phase of Ranger School. Its role is to teach students how to overcome their fears of snakes and other reptiles and identify them when they see them. To read more about this fascinating and little known part of military training click here and read the full article at The Washington Post.
(Photo by Staff Sgt. John Bainter/ U.S. Air Force)

Frogs and toads, already under enormous pressure from the ravages of the Chytrid fungus, have a new threat to contend with. Scientists in the U.K. have discovered a new parasite that attacks tadpoles. Protists, single-celled microorganisms that store genetic information in a nucleus, act as a parasite for tadpoles, entering into their livers, and killing off huge numbers of the amphibious larvae. With the loss of so many tadpoles, the disease can rapidly cause a decline in amphibian populations.

"We now need to figure out if this novel microbe—a distant relative of oyster parasites—causes significant disease and could be contributing to the frog population declines" - Thomas Richards, University of Exeter

Tadpoles from six countries across three continents were tested and the previously unidentified parasite was present in tadpole livers in both tropical and temperate sites, and across all continents tested.

To read the press release from the University of Exeter, click here. kingsnake.com gallery photo by user retnaburner