Steel, stone and scales
- chet kamat
- Oct 22, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 19
My first opportunity to photograph snakes up close was during an exciting midnight hike in Matheran three years ago. Since then, snakes have fascinated me, and I’ve captured close-up images of vipers, cobras, keelbacks, vine snakes, and more around the world —some extremely venomous, others not as much. Most wild creatures, including snakes, prefer to avoid human interaction; their instinct is to move away for safety and survival. However, popular culture, especially movies, often creates the opposite impression.
Back at our site, activity has been hectic this week. While the bare structure is complete, frenetic work is underway—wall cladding, flooring, and fabrication of roof frames—with over thirty workers on-site. Large piles of construction material, tiles, bricks, and the inevitable debris are scattered outside.
Today, while reviewing progress, I suddenly heard an uproar over the noise of tools and machines. A worker, while moving some material, had spotted a snake sheltering in the cool, dark space between stacked bricks. The shouts of alarm filled the air. Rushing outside, I saw a huddle of workers watching cautiously from a safe distance.
Moving closer, I spotted a fully grown saw-scaled viper—coiled and clearly agitated. When alarmed, these vipers move slowly, looping their bodies into S-shaped folds. Their oblique scales rub against each other, producing a distinctive hissing sound—a defensive alarm meant to warn potential predators.
Having encountered this species in the wild before, I quickly identified it. Check out the video to hear the hissing sound.
With more space around it, the viper settled down. I took the opportunity to capture a few shots with my phone camera. Then, drawing on my past close encounters with snakes, I carefully guided it onto a long stick and released it into the forest brush outside the community.
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