SSSSSSSnake Facts

SSSSSSSnake Facts

Image source: By Bladerunner8u - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18329297

1. All snakes are carnivorous.

2. Snakes must swallow their food whole. Their lower jaws are loosely joined to the skull and their upper jaws are moveable. As a result, some snakes can disarticulate their jaws and manage to eat animals three times the size of their heads.

3. Snakes have two kinds of scales; small diamond shapes on the top and long rectangles,  called “scutes”, on the bottom side. Scutes help the snake move by catching on stones,branches and other irregularities on the ground and propelling it along.  

4. A snake’s backbone has from 200 to 400 vertebrae (depending on the species), so it’s extremely flexible. A snake can move forward either with a side to side  motion  or in a straight line by literally walking on its ribs. 

5. A snake can move forward either with a side to side motion or in a straight line by literally walking on its ribs.

6.Snakes have no eyelids; instead their eyes are covered by a clear,non-moveable scale which is shed when they shed their skin. 

7. Most snakes have an elongated right lung and either no left lung or a rudimentary  one.

8. Their long forked tongues constantly dart from their mouths, picking up odors and transferring them to a special organ (called the Jacobson’s organ) in the roof of their mouths. 

9. Rattlesnakes add a rattle each time they shed and they shed several times a year. Also, rattles break off fairly easily. 

10. All snakes can swim, not just water snakes. Some snakes, like black rat snakes, are such good tree climbers that they prey on nesting birds. 

11. Hog-nosed snakes have several defense mechanisms (running  away,  puffing  up  and  hissing), but when all else fails, they roll over on their backs,stick out their tongues, defecate and play dead. 

12. Snakes  can  strike  from  any  position. If you grab a snake,it can turn extremely quickly and bite your hand or arm. 

13. Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes use their venom to capture prey like mice and rats.

14. Copperheads are shy, reclusive snakes that attempt to hide when they perceive danger. 

15. Pit vipers are members of the Crotalidae family that includes rattlesnakes,copperheads, and cottonmouths. They have heat sensing pits on their faces that help them find warmblooded prey like rabbits and rodents. Pit vipers also have hinged hollow fangs.

16. Coral snakes are members of the Elapidae family that includes cobras and kraits. Coral snakes are usually red, yellow, and black in color. They possess fixed fangs that are not long and hinged like those of a pit viper.

17. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake venom is being used in cancer treatments.

18. Sharp-tailed Snakes are secretive in nature and live underground or hide under logs and rocks. They eat small slugs.

19. Rattlesnakes are born with multiple sets of fangs that are shed and replaced about every two months. 

20. Common Gartersnakes are beneficial because they eat slugs, snails and other yard pests.

21. All snakes are ectotherms. They control their body temperature by moving in and out of the sunlight.

22. The California Kingsnake feeds on a variety of live prey, particularly lizards. It gets quite excited when disturbed and may vibrate its tail, hiss or strike.  These snakes are known to eat rattlesnakes and appear to be immune to their venom.

23. The Northern Rubber Boa eats small rodents, mostly mice and shrews, and is a good swimmer, burrower and climber. It measures 14 to 30 inches.

24. Gartersnakes get their names from the stripes on their body, which resemble the design on garters once worn by men to hold up their sock

25. If threatened, a Gopher Snake vibrates the tip of its tail, flattens its head and hisses, resembling a rattlesnake

26. Nightsnakes, rattlesnakes and rubber boas have elliptical (vertical) pupils.

27. The Racer is extremely fast. It can hold its head and neck above the ground when hunting. It prefers warm, dry, open or brushy country and is often seen crossing roads.

28. All snakes have forked tongues that deposit air molecules on receptors in the mouth; thus, snakes “taste” the air, which helps them locate prey and sense their way in the dark.

29. Female Tiger Snakes are viviparous, which means they give birth to live young and don’t lay eggs.Litter sizes have been known to exceed 30.

30. King snakes earned their name by preying on other snakes. Thus, they are considered the "king" of the snakes. 

31. Many custom color phases have been bred, including albinos. 

32. The milk snake’s name originates from the incorrect belief that they drank milk from the udders of cows because they were often seen in barns and stables. In reality, they were hunting rodents, commonly found in those structures.