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Introduction

InteractiveA snake is a reptile with a long, slender body but no arms or legs. Snakes are closely related to lizards. There are about 2,900 species, or kinds, of snake. The best-known snakes include cobras, vipers, boas, and pythons.

Where Snakes Live

Snakes are found throughout the world except near the North and South poles. The tropics have the greatest variety. Most snakes live on the ground, but others prefer trees. Some snakes spend their whole lives in underground tunnels. Sea snakes live in water.

Physical Features

Snakes are vertebrates, or animals with a backbone. The backbone is long and flexible. Snakes grow throughout their lives. The longest known snake is the reticulated python, which can grow to 32 feet (10 meters). The giant anaconda is usually not as long but is much heavier. The smallest snakes are the blind snakes. Some of them are barely 4 inches (10 centimeters) long.

Snakes are covered with rows of scales. Scales are hardened folds in the outer layer of skin. A scale can be shiny and smooth, or it can have a ridge running down the middle. A snake molts, or sheds its skin, many times during its life.

Snakes have no ears or eyelids. Clear scales cover the eyes. A snake’s mouth opens wide because the lower and upper jaw can separate. Most snakes have long, needle-sharp teeth that curve backward. Some snakes, including cobras and rattlesnakes, have a long front or back pair of teeth called fangs. A snake’s tongue is forked.

Behavior

Snakes eat mice, rats, birds, frogs, fish, insects, lizards, eggs, and sometimes other snakes. Most snakes swallow their prey whole, usually head first. The prey may be dead or alive when eaten. Boas, pythons, king snakes, and rat snakes are called constrictors. They coil around their prey and constrict, or squeeze, the animal to death before eating it. Vipers and cobras kill their prey by shooting venom, or poison, into it through their fangs.

Without ears, snakes cannot hear most sounds. But they can sense when prey is near through vibrations in the ground. Snakes can see very well, too. Snakes flick out their tongue to “taste” the air, which gives them information about their surroundings. Snakes do not have a voice. However, they can make a hissing sound by sending air through an opening in the mouth.

A snake’s color can help protect it from enemies. Some snakes blend in with their surroundings. For example, many tree snakes are bright green and resemble vines. The bright colors of some snakes warn attackers that they are poisonous.

Snakes are cold-blooded animals. This means that their body temperature changes along with the temperature of their surroundings. To survive cold seasons, some snakes go into hiding places and become inactive for months at a time. This is like hibernation in mammals.

Movement

Most snakes move by pushing the scales on the underside of their body against the ground. The body moves in a series of S-shaped loops. Some large snakes, such as the boas, move in a straight line. They inch their body forward like a caterpillar does. Other snakes move by folding and unfolding like an accordion. Many desert snakes use a movement called sidewinding. They throw their body upward and sideways across the sand.

Life Cycle

Most snakes live alone for most of the year. Some kinds gather for mating or hibernation. Most snakes lay eggs, but others give birth to live young. The number of young varies from about 3 to more than 50. At birth, baby snakes look like adult snakes. Snakes kept by people can live more than 30 years. Snakes in the wild do not live as long.

Snakes and Humans

Some people think snakes are scary and dangerous. However, a snake bites a human only when it is frightened or threatened. Plus, snakes eat rats and mice, which most people consider to be pests. People hunt snakes as a source of clothing and food. Some snakes are captured and sold as pets.

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Did You Know?

Only about 10 percent of snake species are venomous, or poisonous.

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