For a long time, the image of a flute player controlling cobras to dance to music has become a familiar symbol of India and the Arab world. The art of playing the flute to “enchant” snakes originated in ancient Egypt. However, this form of performance develops especially strongly in India.

Cobras are the most commonly used species in performances. To ensure their own safety, flutists often remove the snakes’ fangs and poison glands. They also kept a safe distance during the performance and avoided making the animals excited.

The flute player places the snakes in woven baskets and then strings all the baskets on a long bamboo stick to carry on his shoulder. They often choose performance locations in crowded places. After placing the baskets on the ground, the artisans sit cross-legged and play the bustling flute music. When the lid of the basket was opened, the snakes raised their heads and moved to the rhythm of the flute.

When witnessing many magic shows combining snakes and pungi trumpets, many people were mistaken about the reptile’s ability to absorb sound, as it undulated its body to the sound of music. However, the truth about this magic show is completely opposite to what we think.

Snakes actually don’t have ears

Snakes do not have ears like many other animals. The snake’s ears have degenerated with the outer ear completely disappearing, while the inner ear is just a piece of bone without necessary parts such as the auditory corpuscle (ossiculum) and eardrum. Therefore, it can be said that snakes do not have ears.

Instead, their inner ears are connected to the jawbone. The solid jaw receives vibrations from the outside and sends signals to the brain for analysis. Therefore, even without ears, snakes still have the ability to hear, but rely on sensing vibrations, especially vibrations transmitted through the ground.