India, Sept. 5 -- Prior to the advent of intrusive CCTV, herpetologists would rely on survivors' first-hand accounts of snakes climbing into beds at night, especially the highly venomous, hiss-less, light-bite kraits. But thanks to live monitoring, aimed at burglars, etc., two pieces of footage have emerged back-to-back of intruder serpents. The horror, as well as the sheer drama of the filmed encounters, evokes the proverbial 'awaking to a nightmare'.

From the desert region of Phalodi in Rajasthan, a long, thickish snake was caught on CCTV climbing over the thighs of a sleeping worker in the Vishnu Dairy Plant. The serpent, which expert Vivek R Sharma reckoned as a black-headed royal snake, crossed the thighs before turning to his face....