Top Facts of Snakes You Must Know as Students! Discover Insights !!

Physical Structure of Snakes

Snakes are specialized animals with elongated bodies and no legs. They have no ears or eyelids, but transparent scales cover the eyes. Organs of snakes are elongated. Snakes have a long, forked tongue, which aids the sense of smell. Particles from odors are picked up by the tongue and inserted into a 2-holed vomeronasal organ in the roof of the mouth.  

The 2 halves of the lower jaw are not fused, but are connected by a ligament. The configuration of the jaw allows snakes to swallow food much larger than their heads. Snakes are ectothermic (cold-blooded) and may consume only 1 meal in several weeks. Snakes may hibernate during cold weather or aestivate during hot summer months. Snakes consume little or no food during times of decreased activity.  

Snakes vary in length, depending on age and species. Scientists typically measure a snake from the tip of the snout to the vent (cloaca opening), as tails may be damaged. Color usually is not a primary indicator for the identification of snakes. Coloration can vary greatly by area, genetic variation, and age of the snake.  

Interesting facts of Snakes

Snakes live on everywhere on Earth except Ireland, Iceland, New Zealand, and the North and South Poles.a_[1]

Of the approximately 725 species of venomous snakes worldwide, 250 can kill a human with one bite._[19]

Snakes evolved from a four-legged reptilian ancestor—most likely a small, burrowing, land-bound lizard—about 100 million years ago. Some snakes, such as pythons and boas, still have traces of back legs._[2]

The fear of snakes (ophiophobia or herpetophobia) is one of the most common phobias worldwide. Approximately 1/3 of all adult humans are ophidiophobic, which suggests that humans have an innate, evolutionary fear of snakes._[9]

Snakes are “solar-powered” and rely fully on external heat or light sources. 

Reptiles sometimes get labelled “cold-blooded” but this is incorrect as their blood isn’t actually cold. 

The accurate term is “ectothermic,” meaning their body temperature is variable and regulated by external sources. 

Unlike mammals and birds that are able to internally regulate their body temperature, reptiles need to use sources of heat, like the sun, to warm up.

Not all snakes lay eggs. You might have learned in school that reptiles are different from mammals because they lay eggs. 

While approximately 70% of snakes lay eggs, others don’t. 

Snakes living in especially colder climates have live births because the eggs wouldn’t survive outside.

Snakes don't have eyelids. This means they don’t blink and have to sleep with their eyes wide open. 

Instead of eyelids they have a thin membrane attached to each eye to protect them. 

The membrane is called the “brille,” which in German means glasses.

The top 5 most venomous snakes in the world are the inland taipan, the eastern brown snake, the coastal taipan, the tiger snake, and the black tiger snake._[16]

The warmer a snake’s body, the more quickly it can digest its prey. Typically, it takes 3–5 days for a snake to digest its meal. For very large snakes, such as the anaconda, digestion can take weeks._[2]

Some animals, such as the Mongoose, are immune to snake venom._[20]

To avoid predators, some snakes can poop whenever they want. They make themselves so dirty and smelly that predators will run away.[5]

The word “snake” is from the Proto-Indo-European root *sneg-, meaning “to crawl, creeping thing.” The word “serpent” is from the Proto-Indo-European root *serp-, meaning “to crawl, creep.”_[15]

REFERENCES

¹ Bishop, Nic. Snakes. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2012.

² Clarke, Penny. Snakes Alive. New York, NY: Franklin Watts, 2009.

³ “Dangerous Australian Animals.” Animal Danger. 2015. Accessed: May 21, 2015.

⁴ Davis, Carlo. “Marines Drink Cobra Blood during Jungle Survival Training Exercise in Thailand.” The World Post. Updated February 20, 2013. Accessed May 18, 2015.

⁵ Green, Jen. 2011. Snakes. Mankato, MN: Amicus, 2011.

⁶ Irvine, F. R. “Snakes as Food for Man.” British Journal of Herpetology. 1954. (10): 183-189.

⁷ Langley, Liz. “Weird Animal Question of the Week: What’s the Most Toxic Snake?” National Geographic. December 7, 2014. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

⁸ Mosbergen, Dominique. "Chef Reportedly Dies After Being By Decapitated Snake, But Is That Even Possible?" The Huffington Post. Updated September 3, 2014. Accessed: July 30, 2016.&n

⁹ Roach, John. “Fear of Snakes, Spiders Rooted in Evolution, Study Finds.” National Geographic. October 4, 2001. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

¹⁰ “Scientists Investigate ‘Mad Snake Disease” which Makes Captive Pythons Tie Themselves in Knots.” Daily Mail. Updated August 15, 2012. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

¹¹ Sfetcu, Nicolae. Reptiles: Crocodiles, Alligators, Lizards, Snakes, Turtles. Raleigh, NC: Lulu Press, 2014.

¹² Siciliano, Leon and AFP. “Eaten ‘Alive’ by an Anaconda in Discovery Channel Stunt.” The Telegraph. December 8, 2014. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

¹³ Sinha, Kounteya. “No More the Land of Snake Charmers.” The Times of India. July 25, 2006. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

¹⁴ “Snake Bursts after Gobbling Gator.” BBC. Updated October 5, 2005. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

¹⁵ “Snake.” Online Etymology Dictionary. 2015. Accessed: May 18, 2015.

¹⁶ Solway, Andrew. Deadly Snakes. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2005.

¹⁷ Strickland, Ashley. "Snakes Had Back Legs for 70 Million Years Before Losing Them, New Fossil Shows." CNN. November 20, 2019. Accessed: November 21, 209.

¹⁸ Szalay, Jessie. "Anaconda Facts." Live Science. January 8, 2016. Accessed: July 30, 2016.&n

¹⁹ Wimmer, Teresa. Snakes. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 2012.

²⁰ Woodward, John. Everything You Need to Know about Snakes and Other Scaly Reptiles. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2013.