World’s tiniest poisonous snake inside green bell pepper- know the truth

The video shows a roundworm named Horsehair worm that is not poisonous in nature.

A video is currently going viral that shows the world’s tiniest poisonous snake found inside a green bell pepper or capsicum. The 2-minute long video shows a person digging out the thread-like white coloured insect from inside a capsicum.

Caption of the video states that “very important health issue. It is referred to as the world’s tiniest poisonous snake and it’s often found inside green pepper and veggies. Pls always cut open your green Veggies before you embark on use even if it’s for grinding because it is poisonous even when used for salad. We must not be a victim of circumstances. I implore you share with family and friends.”

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The same post has been shared on Twitter as well.

Fact Check- 

We first searched on Google with the keywords ‘worlds’ tiniest snake’, then we found a link to Barbados thread snake is the smallest snake in the world. But the picture of this snake is very different from the creature seen in the viral video.

In further search we came across a website a website called Imgur.com where the creature found in the above capsicum has been called by many people as a type of worm.

We came across a video on YouTube in which a worm has been shown and this worm is identical to the one shown in the above video. In this video this worm has been named ‘Horsehair worm’.

To confirm this, we spoke to Professor Veena Tandon at the ‘ Indian Institute of Science-Center of Ecological Sciences ‘ who confirmed that, “The one seen in the above video is a ‘worm’. It is called ‘Horsehair worm’, ‘Gordias’ or ‘Nematomorpha’. This worm lives in soil, water or plants and is not harmful to animals. You can see her message below.

According to the American Phytopathological Society, most species of nematodes have no effect on humans. While some nematodes release bacteria to help encourage plant growth, others feed on insects and control pests in crops. The Asian Journal of Pharmaceutics advises proper washing and disinfecting of vegetables before consumption in order to avoid transmission of nematodes larvae.

It is clear from these evidences that the video shared in the post is not of the world’s tiniest and poisonous snake, but of a horsehair worm. The video is being spread with the aim of misleading people with wrong informations.

Conclusion 

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. The viral video does not show the world’s tiniest and poisonous snake, but of a horsehair worm, that is not poisonous in nature.