Snake Names!
Anil Das
in San Jose for trying to sell three poisonous snakes
smuggled into the country. One of them was an African
snake called mamba, also known as the `two step mamba',
because a person bit by the snake is expected only
to take two steps before death.
I immediately remembered the Malayalam name
`Ettadi Veeran' for a snake whose bite, according to
folklore, allows you to walk only eight feet before death.
This got me thinking about all the different snakes whose
names I used to know as a child. Here is my list. Please
correct any errors, and add what you can. The names I use
are what I knew as a kid and probably reflect the local
dialect. Unless stated otherwise, the snake is poisonous.
Malayalam name English Name Comments
-------------- ------------ --------
MUrkhan Cobra
RAja VembAla King Cobra
KarimUrkhan ?? `Black Cobra' is the literal meaning.
Anali Viper
ChEra Rat Snake Not poisonous. Prob. the most
common snake in Kerala. Is manjachEra
different?
NIrkOli Water Snake Is this one poisonous? Folklore
says you should not eat anything
at all for a day if bit by a
nIrkOli.
Sankhu Varayan ??
Perumpampu Python Not poisonous, but you don't want
to tangle with this one. Also
known as malampampu.
KompEri ?? Supposed to be found on the low-flung
branches of trees, from where it pounces
on you. I think it is coloured green.
Ettadi Veeran ?? You won't walk more than eight feet if
this one bites you. I don't know if
this is a separate species or just
a vareity of the cobra.
That is about it. I can't shake off the feeling that I
have missed a very important name here. A poisonous snake that
has to be mentioned along with the cobra and the viper.
Of these, I have only seen the cobra, the rat snake
and the water snake in their natural settings. That is, outside
of a zoo. There was an incident involving a kombEri near our
house on the eve of my SSLC math exam, but I didn't see the snake.
--
Anil Das an...@nskernel.tandem.com