Why you should not fear snakes: Rom and Zai Whitaker on understanding the fascinating creatures

Zai and Rom Whitaker’s latest book for young readers, The Book of Indian Snakes, tackles common misconceptions surrounding snakes, highlighting their utility to humans

When it comes to snakes, misconceptions are not far behind. At a college talk by Zai Whitaker in Chennai, a biology teacher in the audience stood up and declared that she was convinced that snakes drink milk, recounts the writer, naturalist and teacher, who has recently co-authored a new book with the well-known herpetologist Romulus Whitaker, The Book of Indian Snakes, published by Juggernaut.

The same teacher also appeared to believe that rat snakes strike with their tails and that snake stones cure snakebites, she recalls. “Here was a science teacher determined that you could cure snake bites with herbs and snake stones. In spite of the books, the articles, the conversations, these are deep-rooted beliefs,” says Zai, over a Zoom call.

The Book of Indian Snakes takes some of these myths head-on, stressing that while it is important to respect snakes, they should not be feared. The book also delves into the crucial ecosystem services snakes provide, highlighting their incredible utility to humans because their main prey are rodents.

Zai Whitaker | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“A healthy snake population in the fields is a much better way to control rodents than the poisonous pesticides that cause so much harm to our environment and wildlife,” states the book, which goes on to answer many basic questions about snakes, such as the approximate number of species in India, their habitats, life histories, and venom information. The book also has a selection of species pages offering “snakey stats” and trivia on some of the most common snakes in the country, including the spectacled cobra, common krait, Indian rock python and rat snake.

The brain behind the book's structure, says Zai, was their publisher Anita Mani, who runs the Indian Pitta book imprint with Juggernaut Books. “Also, with my writing for children, it is becoming more and more obvious that the question-and-answer format works well. We focused on the questions and information people have been seeking for the last 50 years,” she says.