Эксперт призвал перестать бояться змей в Малайзии и начать уважать их роль в экосистеме

But according to Vincent Teo, longtime member of the Malaysian Nature Society’s Herpetofauna Special Interest Group – a community dedicated to reptiles and amphibians – that reaction is driven more by fear than fact. “The biggest misconception is that if you see a snake, you must kill it because it will kill you. But most snakes in Malaysia are non-venomous,” Teo, an associate professor at Universiti Malaya’s faculty of sports and exercise, told FMT Lifestyle. Malaysia is home to more than 200 snake species, but only about 35 are considered medically significant to humans. The vast majority would rather avoid people altogether, biting only when cornered or accidentally stepped on. For Teo, that makes coexistence, rather than confrontation, the better approach. “If you see a snake, just move away or nudge it to leave with a long stick,” he said. “You don’t have to love snakes, but you should respect them.” Although not a trained herpetologist, Teo has spent years studying Malaysia’s reptiles and amphibians as a wildlife photographer. He also co-authored “Land Snakes of Medical Significance in Malaysia”, a guide used by hospitals to identify venomous snakes and the appropriate antivenoms. One of his favourite species is the elusive dragon snake, a rare reptile whose rough, grey scales resemble a dragon’s skin. Disturb it and the snake freezes into a rigid stick, relying on camouflage instead of aggression to fool predators. “It’s one of the most memorable snakes I’ve ever encountered,” he said. Then there’s the Malayan pit viper, a master of camouflage whose brown markings blend almost perfectly into dry leaves in northern Malaysia. “The snake’s disguise is so effective that people sometimes step on it unknowingly while walking outdoors at dusk. When you do, they are going to bite you. So you need to be more aware.” Perhaps Malaysia’s most recognisable serpent is the king cobra, often assumed to be the country’s most venomous species. But Teo pointed out that this distinction actually belongs to the Malayan krait, which has a fast-acting neurotoxic venom. “Drop for drop, the Malayan krait is more venomous than the king cobra. In fact, it is the third most venomous snake in Asia,” he said. Strange and silly snakes Malaysia is also home to snakes with behaviours that sound almost too strange to be true. The blunt-headed slug snake, for example, specialises in dining on snails. “Rather than swallowing them whole, it uses specially adapted teeth to extract the soft body from the shell. It is very unique,” Teo remarked. The tiny dwarf reed snake has an even more unusual escape strategy. Instead of slithering away, it cartwheels across the ground when startled. Then there’s the radiated rat snake, which takes deception to another level: “Normally when you try to catch a snake, it will either slither away or bite you. This snake has a special defence mechanism – it fakes death! “It turns its body over, lets its tongue hang out to show it’s ‘dead’ – then, when you’re not watching, it makes a ‘run’ for it.” Keeping ecosystems healthy Rather than viewing snakes as pests, Teo believes Malaysians should see them as nature’s pest controllers. “If there were no pythons and rat-eating snakes, we would be overrun with mice and rats. Rats could urinate in our water system and we could catch leptospirosis. “So, snakes are actually helping us by maintaining the balance of our ecosystem.” On World Snake Day today, Teo hopes Malaysians will look beyond fear and learn to appreciate these often-misunderstood reptiles. “They are not a threat to us if we don’t go too close, and they have a role to play, too,” he stressed. “So, let’s respect our snakes.” Follow Vincent Teo on Instagram.