“Have you ever studied a snake’s face? How optimistic they look. They have an eternal smile.”
-Tasha Tudor
The term “snake in the grass” was used by the poet Virgil as early as 37 B.C. (grammarist.com). This term is often used to describe a person who is deceitful or has a hidden agenda. The snake in the below photograph may not be in the grass, but it is a great example of deception. This is a gopher snake, it is not poisonous, but it will mimic a rattlesnake when under threat and hiss and even shake its tail – even though it has no rattle. In fact, gopher snakes are beneficial and help to keep rattlesnakes out of the area. One way to tell the difference between them is to look at their eyes, but not too close – use binoculars! Rattlesnakes have vertical pupils whereas gopher snakes have round pupils – you can see this in the picture below. Also be aware that rattlesnakes can lose their tail rattle so the rattle is not always a good way to identify a rattlesnake. And yes, I took this picture with a very long lens. Speaking of safety and wellness, snakes aren’t only linked to being symbols of deception and disloyalty, they are also symbols of healing, of rebirth (‘shedding their skin’) and of wisdom. You’ll see snake symbols everywhere in the world of medicine.
Snakes are captivating. There are approximately 3,900 species of these ectothermic (“cold-blooded”) creatures who rely on their environment for heat. Covered in scales, they range from 4 inches to 22 feet long and a fossil species was 42 feet long! Most snakes are nonvenomous and there is consensus that they descended from lizards. (wikipedia.org)
If you happen to come upon a snake, enjoy meeting one of nature’s most fascinating beings! I certainly do!
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Stay Inspired!
Wendy