1. Snakes are more closely related to
lizards than to other reptiles, and probably evolved from a single group of lizards. Curiously, they probably did not evolve from the group of legless lizards.
2. In ancient Greece, the sick and injured sought the aid of the god of healing and medicine, Asklepios. They took an offering to the temple and waited for the god to come to them in their dreams, or to send his sacred servants, the snakes. Ancient writings tell of the snakes healing with a touch of the tongue. The snake in question was the Aesculapian snake. The Romans chose to import this snake to their own temples, rather than to bring in Greek healers. The snake today forms part of the symbol of physicians and veterinarians (the snake is wrapped around Asklepios' staff), linking snakes to millennia of healing and medical practice.
3. The hognosed snake (Heterodon sp.), grass snake and the
spitting cobracan feign death by flipping on to their backs when threatened. They open their mouths, allow their tongues to loll and can empty a foul smelling substance from their anal glands, making them highly unappetizing to any potential predator.
4. Many snakes, such as vipers, boas and pythons have temperature-sensing organs on their heads. These heat pits are sensitive to changes in temperature of as little as 0.002 degrees Celsius, and effectively allow the snake to navigate and hunt in the dark.
5. Snakes can have over 300 pairs of ribs.
6. Snakes turn “blue” before a shed. This opaque change to the skin is actually due to the presence of a lymph-like layer of fluid between the old and new skins, prior to the shed of the old skin.
7. Reports of the longest, heaviest and oldest reptiles abound. Many cannot be verified. A reticulated python, shot in Indonesia in 1912, was said to be 32 feet 9 1/2 inches in length. One
Burmese python weighed in at over 400 pounds. Although seldom as long as the giant pythons, the green anaconda is a heavier snake. Sir
Percy Fawcett is said to have killed an anaconda measuring 62 feet in 1907, in Brazil. Since the early part of the last century, the New York Zoological Society has offered a reward of $50,000 for the capture of a live snake greater than 30 feet in length. The oldest recorded snake is a
boa constrictor named Popeye, who died in 1977 at the age of 40 years, 3 months and 14 days.
8. The smallest snake may be the Martinique thread snake (Leptotyphlops bilineatus), which does not grow any bigger than 4 1/4 inches.
9. A snake's internal organs, although superficially different, have basically the same functions as those of a mammal. The difference lies in their arrangement. They are placed one after the other, to accommodate the tube-like body. All snakes have a right lung and associated air sacs that extend most of the way to the vent. In most species, the left lung is considerably shorter, or even missing.
10. The glottis, which is the entry to the trachea (breathing tube), can move to either side, to allow the snake to swallow prey. This is the tube you see when you look at the floor of a snake's mouth. Cartilage around the opening of the tube closes to prevent food from entering the respiratory tract, and produces the classic “hiss” in many snakes.
11. A snake's heart can slide 1 to 1 1/2 times its length from its normal position, to allow the passage of swallowed prey. This is because of the relative mobility of the pericardial sac, which surrounds the heart.
12.
Venom glands have evolved independently in several species. Venoms are very complex substances, which may consist of a dozen or more toxic components. These can include substances poisonous to the heart, nerves and DNA as well as enzymes that break down natural tissue barriers, allowing the spread of venom within the body.
13. Spitting cobras can inject venom in their bites, but can also force venom out, under pressure, through tiny channels in their fangs. Raising the front half of its body, the snake can aim venom at the eyes and mucous membranes of its target, over 3 feet away.
14. Snakes have two rows of teeth on the top jaw, one row on the bottom jaw. The teeth, including fangs, in most cases are replaced throughout life.
15. When the tongue is in the mouth, it lies in a sheath beneath the glottis with its tip touching the vomeronasal or Jacobsen‘s organ. This is an organ of smell, so when your snake flicks out his tongue, he is, in fact, “tasting” or smelling the air. The forked design allows the snake to detect on which side the smell is strongest, and so to locate his prey, even in the dark.
16. The Brahminy blind snake are all females. When mature, they lay fertile eggs, and the young are clones of the mother. Although native to Asia, this snake is now found in warm countries all over the world.
17. The Emerald tree boa is born red or yellow, and changes to green after about a year.
18. The rattlesnake's rattle consists of six to 10 layers of scales, which fail to shed and make that distinctive sound when the tail is shaken as a warning. Eventually the older segments will slough as the rattle lengthens.
19. The tail of the Calabar ground boa is blunt, cylindrical and has white scales on the underside, and altogether appears very much like a head. When threatened, the snake coils into a ball, hides its head, leaving the less vulnerable tail exposed to confuse predators.
20. The common egg eater (Dasypeltis scabra) is a highly specialized snake. Although it is not venomous, the markings are sufficiently similar to those of the deadly cobra or viper that a potential predator will think twice before attacking. The egg eater can also expand its jaws to mimic the larger head of the venomous. To consume an egg, the jaws can expand to four or five times the size of the egg. Once engulfed, the egg is pierced by two specialized vertebrae. Other modified bones in the vertebral column stabilize it, prevent its slipping out of the mouth or further into the snake. Yet another set of unique vertebrae crush the egg. Once emptied of its contents, the shell is regurgitated.
21. The
black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepsis) is brown, gray or olive, but never black. It is a particularly dangerous snake, with a bite that kills 95 to 100 percent of victims. The black mamba may also be the fastest snake, reaching speeds of 10 to 12 miles per hour. Other particularly dangerous snakes include the common krait, Russell's viper (both Asian snakes) and the taipan (Australian). Seven of the 10 most deadly snakes live in Australia.
22. Snakes move by relaxing and contracting muscles lengthwise along the body. Sidewinding is a specialized form of motion that allows a snake to travel with speed and relatively little expenditure of energy along loose desert sand. The snake lifts a loop of its body from the surface, using its head and tail. The loop is moved sideways and then back to the ground. This creates the typical series of unconnected parallel tracks.
23. The paired claw-like structures seen on either side of the vent of a snake such as a ball or royal python, are in fact, remnants of the legs present in the animals from which the modern species has evolved.
Snakes are fascinating creatures. Most of them are harmless as far as human beings are concerned. Only a small percentage of them are venomous and even among these, only a few have lethal venom. However, since people are not able to distinguish between venomous and non venomous snakes, they kill just about every snake they come across. Human contacts with the snakes, is on the increase mainly because of disappearance of habitats. This leads to more snakes being killed. People are also killed, especially in the rural areas. The only way of keeping the snakes away from the people is to preserve the existing habitats. Some important and interesting snake facts are provided here.
1. Many people believe that the snakes do not have bones. They have. They also have organs like the heart, the lungs and the kidneys. They also have the blood. The snakes also possess the brain. The brain is underdeveloped and therefore, the snakes are incapable of ‘learning’.
2. Snakes do not have eye lids. They also do not have ears. They are totally deaf. However, they get to ‘hear’ from the vibrations on the ground.
3. There are about 2,500 species of snakes. Only about 20% are venomous.
4. The human legs receive the maximum number of snake bites as they are closest to the ground and are easily targeted.
5. There have been stories of snakes chasing people. However, these stories have no substance. Snakes cannot move very fast. The fastest speed recorded is 13 Km/hr. Most of the snakes are much slower than this and an adult human being can easily outrun any snake.
6. Three species of snakes can spit out venom. This is done with accuracy and can reach a distance of nearly 8 feet. The targets are the eyes of the enemy which can even be a human being. When the venom falls on the eyes, it can even lead to blindness. This act shows some level of intelligence as the snakes understand the importance of the eyes. However, this act of spitting is only a defense and is not used for getting food.
7. Many snakes have good vision. However, most of the burrowing snakes are blind. They have a good sense of smell.
8. The longest recorded life span for a snake is 30 years. This has been seen in the case of anacondas.
9. Snakes are rarely seen in Ireland and New Zealand.
10. Some snakes are oviparous and lay eggs. Some snakes are ovoviviparous and give birth to live young ones. There is hardly any parental care for the young snakes and these have to fend for themselves. Some snakes, however, guard their eggs. The king cobra is the only snake which actually builds nests for the eggs.
11. Sea snakes have no gills and have to surface occasionally. They, however, can remain submerged for a long time as they have the ability utilize the oxygen dissolved in water.
12. The reticulated python of Southeast Asia is the longest snake while the green anaconda of South America is the largest snake.
13. The snakes like the anacondas kill their prey by constricting and suffocating them. They swallow the food whole. Sometimes they swallow a large animal and subsequently go without food for weeks.
14. Most of the snakes have a large number of teeth and some snakes contain as many as 200. But, these are not used for chewing as the teeth are curved backwards. They are mainly used for holding the prey.
15. Some snakes are capable of flying. Actually, it is gliding from one tree branch to another. They flatten the body into a disc which enables gliding.
Snake Myths and Facts
Myth: Rat Snakes are poisonous.
Fact: Rat snakes are Non-poisonous, rodent-eating Reptiles.
Myth: Rat Snakes mate with cobras.
Fact: Rat Snakes or any other snakes will not mate with any snake out of its own species. Cobras eat other snakes so a mating between a Cobra and a Rat snake is not possible.
Myth: Snakes drink Milk.
Fact: Snakes drink water and do not drink milk, neither can they digest it properly. They are reptiles and have no association with milk, only mammals who have mammary glands can produce milk and thus a liking for milk in non-mammals is unlikely. But in a crises when severely dehydrated, a snake might drink any liquid available.
Myth: Some Snakes grow a beard as they get older.
Fact: Snakes are reptiles and do not have any hair on their bodies let alone a beard. It is impossible for them to have beards for their bodies do not have any ability of growing hair.
Myth: Snakes carry a diamond in their forehead.
Fact: It is impossible for a Snake to carry anything in its head. The mythological status attached with a Snake in India is probably responsible for this myth.
Myth: Snakes remember you if you hurt them.
Fact: Snakes are not vengeful animals and do not have the necessary intelligence to remember people or places for getting revenge. Hindi Movies (Bollywood) have a lot to do with the creation of this myth.
Myth: If one Snake is killed its partner will trace you (no matter wherever you are).
Fact: Snakes are not vengeful animals and are not interested in chasing or tracing people who hurt them. They do not have the necessary memory and intellect to remember people to trace them back. Neither do snakes have a feeling of camaraderie nor do snakes pair for life. Once again Bollywood is responsible for this myth.
Myth: Flying Snakes can pierce somebody’s forehead or put out their eyes.
Fact: A Flying Snake does not actually fly but only glides through the air by extending its ribs and pulling in the underside. It can glide a distance of 330 feet or 100 metre. It has an elongated head, which gives the scary feeling that it can pierce a person’s head or eyes.
Myth: Snakes found in India can spit venom.
Fact: No Snake found in India can spit venom. Only Spitting-Cobras can spit venom and they are not found in India.
Myth: There are “Two- headed” snakes.
Fact: The Snake-charmers spread the myth about the Two-headed Snakes only to maintain the mythological status of the snakes in India so they can continue attracting large crowds to their Snake shows. In reality nothing like a Two-headed Snake exists.
Learning about snakes can help you to understand them and reduce the stereotypical thoughts surrounding them. Since there are many myth about them the facts is what you need to really become educated about them.
Many species of snakes are endangered at this point in time.
There are more then 3,000 species of snakes in the world.
Only about 375 species of snakes are venomous.
Snakes are known to live in a variety of different habitats. This includes in trees, on land, underground, and in the water.
All snakes are categorized as reptiles. They don’t have any limbs but they rely on their body to move quickly and quietly. They have a body that is very strong.
Some snakes can consume prey that is several times larger than they are. They will open the hinged jaws and swallow it whole.
Snakes will shed their skin during a process called molting.
They only have one lung and they have kidneys that are one in front of the other instead of side by side.
Antarctica is the only place on Earth where you won’t find snakes living. They don’t live in Ireland, Iceland, or New Zealand either.
The smallest is 10 centimeters long and the longest is more than 25 feet.
The largest fossil of a snake is 49 feet long.
The venom of some snakes can be powerful enough to make a human very ill. With some species it can be strong enough to kill them.
The tail is usually about 20% the length of the entire body of a snake.
There can be up to 400 vertebrae found in some species of snakes.
The Anaconda is the largest and heaviest snake in the world.
All snakes are cold blooded so they can’t regulate their body temperature on their own.
They have to sleep with their eyes open which is why they usually will coil up when they are trying to rest.
Snakes often move their tongues around so that they can both smell and taste what is going on around them at the same time. They are actually sampling their environment as they move along.
Snakes are very sensitive to movement and they pick up on even very faint vibrations that are around them.
There are species of snakes that see very well such as those that live in trees. Others that live on the ground though don’t see very well.
There are species with an infrared sensory so they can see the heat that warm blooded creatures give off.
Snake charmers are very popular in India. They play music to try to relax the snakes so that they will be able to be calm and sway to the sounds.
In some areas of the world people do enjoy consuming snake meat.
Snakes are considered to be a very good pet by some people. This is because they are quiet, they don’t need to be fed daily, and they are exotic so people really take notice of a person that has something like this as a pet.
Under the right living conditions some species of snakes can live to be up to 40 years old.
Snakes have more than 200 teeth that they use to defend themselves with. They never use them to chew.
Most species of snakes that live in colder places will hibernate until it warms up again.
Most young are born from eggs but a few species of snakes give birth to live young.
It can take up to 3 months for some large meals to digest for a huge snake. As a result it will only need to feed about 4 times per year.
Facts:
Snakes eat small animals including lizards and other snakes, rodents and other small mammals, birds, eggs or insects. They use specialized belly scales to travel, gripping surfaces.
Their eyelids are transparent "spectacle" scales which remain permanently closed, called brille.
Snakes shed their skin periodically, for growing purpose and for removing external parasites.
Snakes do not chew their food and have a very flexible lower jawallowing them to open their mouths wide enough to swallow their prey whole, even if it is larger in diameter than the snake itself.
Snakes have unremarkable vision, it is able to detect movement. Their sense of hearing is most sensitive to frequencies around 200–300 Hz.
The venom of the king cobra, the world's largest poisonous snake, is strong enough to kill an elephant.
It is thought that snakes evolved from lizards.
Snakes have a slow metabolic rate and thus can survive without eating for many days at a stretch, after a sumptuous meal. Snakes like King cobras can survive many months without food.
They virtually swim through the air and can glide a distance of 100m. It can only glide by extending its ribs and pulling in the underside.
Snakes are both predators and prey
Snakes vary greatly in size and weight, although they have the same basic body structure
The King Cobra is the largest of all venomous snakes, and actually eats other snakes
A snake smells by using its forked tongue to collect airborne particles then passing them to the Jacobson's organ, a special organ in the mouth for examination. The fork in the tongue gives the snake a sort of directional sense of smell.
A snake does not look after its eggs or take care of the young ones but leaves the eggs to be hatched on their own. The young snakes therefore have special teeth to break open the eggs and come out.
Fact
- There are around 3000 snake species in the world, and about 375 of these are venomous.
- Snake venom is a complex mixture of proteins that, once unleashed, rapidly spreads through the victim’s body. Neurotoxic venom, which destroys the nervous system, is the variety that kills quickest.
- Anaconda can grow up to 38 feet in length, the brahminy blind snake is just 2 inches long, making it the smallest snake.
- Snakes have two long lungs, a long liver, kidneys and intestines. The last quarter of the snake has a small anal opening covered by a scale called the anal plate, and the rest is tail made up of more bone.
- The paradise tree-snake of South-east Asia can ‘fly’ through the air by flattening its body into an s-shaped ribbon.
- Snakes have more than 200 teeth, which they do not use to chew, since they point backwards, but bite and grip their prey securely.
- Most toxic snake of all is the Inland Taipan of Australia. It could kill 100 people with a single bite.
- The venom of the king cobra, the world’s largest poisonous snake, is strong enough to kill an elephant.
- A snake does not look after its eggs or take care of the young ones but leaves the eggs to be hatched on their own. The young snakes therefore have special teeth to break open the eggs and come out.
- Most snake species lay eggs, but some species give birth to live young. Snakes lay their eggs in a warm location. With the exception of some python species, eggs and young are not cared for by the male or female.
- Snakes do not chew their food and have a very flexible lower jaw allowing them to open their mouths wide enough to swallow their prey whole, even if it is larger in diameter than the snake itself.
- A snake’s heart can slide 1 to 1 1/2 times its length from its normal position, to allow the passage of swallowed prey. This is because of the relative mobility of the pericardial sac, which surrounds the heart.
- Snakes move by relaxing and contracting muscles lengthwise along the body. Sidewinding is a specialized form of motion that allows a snake to travel with speed and relatively little expenditure of energy along loose desert sand. The snake lifts a loop of its body from the surface, using its head and tail. The loop is moved sideways and then back to the ground. This creates the typical series of unconnected parallel tracks.
- Snakes have no eyelids.Instead of eyelids, snakes have a transparent scale protecting their eye.
