Witnessing the magic show combining snakes and pungi trumpets, many people were misled about the reptile’s ability to absorb sound when it undulated its body to the music.

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 “charm” snakes originated in ancient Egypt. However, this form of performance is developing particularly strongly in India.

Cobras are the species most frequently used in performances. To ensure their own safety, the flute players usually remove the snakes’ fangs and venom glands. They also kept a safe distance during the performance and avoided exciting the animals.

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

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

Because they kept their tricks hidden, ancient snake handlers were often highly respected.

Snakes don’t actually have ears.

Snakes do not have ears like many other animals. Snake ears have degenerated and the outer ear has completely disappeared, while the inner ear is just a piece of bone without the necessary parts, such as the auditory corpuscle (ossicle) and the eardrum. Therefore, it can be said that snakes do not have ears.

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

Cobras are often used for performances because they have a beautiful appearance, are fierce and easy to control.

Simple tips on magic tricks.

In snake control magic with a trumpet, the audience is often drawn to the snake dance and the mysterious gesture of the operator playing the trumpet. Paying closer attention, magicians often sit cross-legged and tap their feet on the floor as if to keep time with the trumpet. Foot tapping is very common among musicians, so the audience often does not realize that it is actually a trick used to control snakes.

Because they are especially sensitive to vibrations transmitted from the ground, snakes receive signals from the magician’s foot tapping to perform dances, which are essentially the snakes’ normal response to external movements. Because they do not understand this principle, many people have tried to use music to make snakes dance, but have failed.

There are quite a few people who are still curious about the snake control magic show.

Controlling snakes with a pungi trumpet sometimes causes… misunderstandings. Many families in Asian countries once hired magicians to scare away snakes. When they discover snakes in the house, they invite shamans to use pungi trumpets to lure the snakes out of the house. Similar to the magic trick to control a dancing snake, the trumpet is actually just a means to hide the real secrets of snake control.

Later, when these tricks were revealed, snake control magic gradually lost its appeal. Until now, only a few people still regard snake dance as their main way of making a living. Usually, they will perform on the street combined with selling snake-related items such as snake bile, amulets, snake skin or snake venom medicines.