Are Snakes Harmful or Helpful?
By Ding Ma
Are you afraid of snakes? Well, don’t be too scared of them. If you’re scared of them, that’s just because you don’t know them as well as me. Try to avoid being disrespecAul to them because that’s when they’ll get dangerous. But if you see them how I see them, they’re all amazing in different ways.
Tao’s first experience with snakes
I interviewed my dad, Tao Ma, about his first snake experience.
He was encountered with a snake when he was about 12 years old. Tao had a friend who lived in the suburb. One day, he invited Tao and a few other boys to his house. Tao’s friend raised some pet bunnies. He asked Tao and the other boys to go get food for the bunnies. So they went to a field to find food. It was a lot of fun UNTIL……………………………………
Someone screamed: “SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE!” “Did someone die or get biUen?”
”No,” said Tao. “How did the snake look like?”
“So it’s green, it’s about 20 inches long.” replied Tao
“Did you destroy the snake or did you cower from it?”
“We destroyed it by throwing rocks at it because we were so scared, and that was the only thing we could think of at that moment.” Answered Tao.
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Later on they found out that the snake they killed was actually the most common species of snake -­‐-­‐-­‐ the Green Tree Snake (Picture 1) , which is not harmful at all.
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Picture 1. The Green Tree
Snake
Green tree snakes are not
poisonous, plus they have 0
fangs. They have only harmless
small teeth, and their bite is
usually very harmless to
humans.
Venomous vs. Non-­‐venomous
Some people, just like Tao, may think that snakes are scary and dangerous. That’s because they don’t know snakes so well. Of the 3,500 or so known species of snake -­‐ only about 400 species (or 11 percent) are venomous (Chart 1). Not all venomous species possess sufficiently potent enough venom to kill a human.
[2]
Why kids like snakes?
Actually, snakes are very useful creatures to humans. In the survey carried in Waita’s class in MNS, 15 out of 18 students thought snakes are more helpful than harmful (Chart 2). The most important reason is that all snakes eat rodents. Rodents carry a variety of diseases and destroy millions of dollars worth of crops a year. One snake could eat 2-­‐4 mice or rats a month. If at least 1 mouse eaten is female, then that takes another few hundred baby mice out of the popula\on. Australia worked to kill many of their venomous snakes and they ended up with a rodent overpopula\on that was completely out of control. The second reason was because snakes are cool (which is not a reason that shows snakes are helpful/harmless). The third important reason that snakes are helpful is that snake venom can be used for making medicine that can cure deadly snake bites and other sicknesses. The last reason is from just one student, however I think it’s also a very good one. Snakes have a beau\ful leathery skin which can be used for making clothes and accessories(Picture 2)(Chart 3).
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Picture 2. Snakeskin Can Be Used For Accessories!
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Chart&3.&Reasons&For&"Snakes&Are&Helpful"&
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Reasons&
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Eating&Rodents&
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Venom&For&Medicine&
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Making&Clothes/Bags&
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Just&Cool/cute&pet&
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Number&of&Students&
*********&
**&
*&
****&
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*=1&student&
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Dangerous snakes
Despite all those helpful aspects that snakes have, some\mes snakes can be harmful. Basically any snakes don’t like human beings and might aUack us some\mes, but it also depends on the size of the snake, and how deadly the snake venom is. Some snakes are so huge that they could possibly eat adult people (Picture 3). Some snakes are venomous. One bite can cause serious problems or even death if not treated well, which makes them dangerous as well (Picture 4). If you spend much \me outdoors and encounter a dangerous snake, the best way to stay safe is to stay calm and not panic. Move slowly away from it, and keep your distance. The snake will not aUack you.
Picture 3. Biggest Anaconda in the world --- Man-Eating Snakes
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Picture 3. Two basic types of venomous snakes in USA: Vipers and Elapids
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Enjoy the snake
If#only#harmless#animals#were#on#the#earth,#there#would#be#no#balance#in#
the#earth#ecosystem.#Even#the#most#dangerous#snake#can#also#be#helpful#to#
humans#and#the#earth#by#eating#rodents,#therefore#keeping#a#balance#in#our#
ecosystem.#In#case#you#get#a#snake#bite,#anti<venom#medicine#will#save#your#life.#
So#don’t#panic,#enjoy#the#harmonious#world#with#the#snakes!#
#
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Picture 5. harmonious world with the snakes
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encounter
verb
unexpectedly experience or be faced with (something difficult).
• meet unexpectedly and confront (an adversary)
• meet (someone) unexpectedly.
noun
an unexpected or casual meeting with someone or something.
• a confrontation or unpleasant struggle.
venom
noun
poisonous fluid secreted by animals such as snakes and scorpions and typically
injected into prey or aggressors by biting or stinging.
• figurative extreme malice and bitterness shown in someone's attitudes, speech, or
actions.
rodent
noun
a gnawing mammal of an order that includes rats, mice, squirrels, hamsters,
porcupines, and their relatives, distinguished by strong constantly growing incisors
and no canine teeth. They constitute the largest order of mammals.
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