Iconography of Italian Snakes

Achille, Gabriele

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-14106-0_13

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Venomous snakes do not attack people: humans are too large to be their prey; also, venom is metabolically costly and it cannot kill immediately, so snakes cannot use it to deter a potential predator (Pucca et al, 2020). In addition, the amount of venom our vipers produce cannot kill a healthy adult human (Achille, 2015). Snakes perceive people as threats/predators, so they try either to stay motionless and 'invisible' or to flee if there is any chance of escape; if approached/ cornered, they often hiss and try to appear bigger than they are, to frighten and deter a human; some, including vipers, feign death to avoid attack (Hodges, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do mountaineers and their guides in Serbia know about venomous snakes: A pilot questionnaire analysis

Nikolić,

Radonjić,

Miloradović

2023

Turizam

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More and more people go/return to nature seeking recreation, relaxation, stress/anxiety relief, socializing with like-minded persons, etc. Not all of them know what they can stumble upon walking through various terrains. We wanted to check how much hikers/mountaineers and those who took a course for excursion and hiking guides know about venomous snakes present in Serbia and the basic first aid in the case of a bite. For this purpose, we designed a questionnaire containing 20 simple questions that addressed recognition, ecology, distribution, the basics of venomous snakes' conservation, first-aid measures, and people's feelings regarding these reptiles. Results suggest that our target group is agreeably well informed given the amount and quality of easily accessible data for Serbia. However, some misconceptions were detected that must be corrected. There are indications of an increase in mountain/adventure tourism in Serbia, which is partially conditioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we must invest additional effort in examining and educating both mountaineers and "plain" tourists so both the people and snakes would stay safe. To achieve this long-term goal, we should exchange knowledge and experiences with experts from various fields, i.e. biology, medicine, tourism, economics, geography, etc.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do mountaineers and their guides in Serbia know about venomous snakes: A pilot questionnaire analysis

Nikolić,

Radonjić,

Miloradović

2023

Turizam

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“…In Italy, these slithery animals are part of socio-cultural and religious aspects of the country's history. One of the most ancient and iconic ethnoherpetological rituals across Europe, known as the "festa dei serpari" (also called the ritual of San Domenico), is performed in the small mountainous town of Cocullo, central Apennine (Abruzzo, central Italy) [6,18,19]. This mixed Catholic and pagan ceremony has been performed for centuries during the first days of May, with little to no alterations, consisting on placing four-lined snakes (i.e., E. quatuorlineata) on top of the statue of San Domenico [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites and microorganisms associated with the snakes collected for the “festa Dei serpari” in Cocullo, Italy

Mendoza-Roldan,

Perles,

Filippi

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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While in much of the Western world snakes are feared, in the small, rural, mountainous town of Cocullo, in the middle of central Italy, snakes are annually collected and celebrated in a sacro-profane ritual. Every 1st of May, Serpari (snake catchers) capture and showcase dozens of non-venomous snakes to celebrate the ritual of San Domenico. In order to detect potential zoonotic pathogens within this unique epidemiological context, parasites and microorganisms of snakes harvested for the “festa dei serpari” ritual was investigated. Snakes (n = 112) were examined and ectoparasites collected, as well as blood and feces sampled. Ectoparasites were identified morpho-molecularly, and coprological examination conducted through direct smear and flotation. Molecular screenings were performed to identify parasites and microorganisms in collected samples (i.e., Mesostigmata mites, Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Coxiella burnetii, Babesia/Theileria spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Leishmania spp. and helminths). Overall, 28.5% (32/112) of snakes were molecularly positive for at least one parasite and/or microorganism. Endosymbiont Wolbachia bacteria were identified from Macronyssidae mites and zoonotic vector-borne bacteria (e.g., Rickettsia, Leishmania), as well as orally transmitted pathogens (i.e., Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas), were detected from blood and feces. Thus, given the central role of the snakes in the tradition of Cocullo, surveys of their parasitic fauna and associated zoonotic pathogens may aid to generate conservation policies to benefit the human-snake interactions, whilst preserving the cultural patrimony of this event.

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Iconography of Italian Snakes

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

What do mountaineers and their guides in Serbia know about venomous snakes: A pilot questionnaire analysis

What do mountaineers and their guides in Serbia know about venomous snakes: A pilot questionnaire analysis

Parasites and microorganisms associated with the snakes collected for the “festa Dei serpari” in Cocullo, Italy

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