麻豆APP

 The Grass Snake. Author Darius Bauzys.

15 Interesting Facts about Snakes

A lot of times when on a hike or just walking in the forest or garden, one can suddenly bump into a snake sending many to run scary mode often leading to many people running for their dear life. Contrary, it is said that they are not harmless unless they sense danger and would therefore react as they are also scared of the enemy. But why do we need snakes? Scientists believe that they are crucial to the balance of life in their ecosystem.

Due to inadequate knowledge about their true nature and position in the natural world, they are misunderstood and often maligned.

 1. There Are About 3500 Species of Snakes

The Ceylon krait or Sri Lankan krait (Bungarus ceylonicus), Author Buddhika.jm(Buddhika Mawella).

Latest records show that there are about 3500 species found all over the world except in Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland, and New Zealand. They also behave differently as some are venomous, some are harmless, some are big enough to squeeze their prey to death, and some live in the sea. It is also worth noting that they come in all sorts of beautiful colors and sizes, and each species is unique in its own way.

Read more here

2. Unlike Human Beings, They Have Flexible Jaws

Snake Swallowing a fish. Author Ipongalot.

How are snakes able to swallow animals bigger than their mouth?  Scientists while studying this strange phenomenon observed that: 鈥淚n snakes, the lower bones of the jaw, or mandibles, are not connected like they are in mammals鈥� quite an interesting observation. Looking at the front they also say that each mandible is attached by a stretchy ligament making them to be able to spread apart laterally, increasing the width of the mouth. Anatomically at the back, the mandibles are loosely connected to the skull, allowing for much greater rotation than most animals have. This makes it easy for them to swallow their prey. As this is happening, the snake鈥檚 head 鈥渨alks鈥� forward in a side-to-side motion over the prey鈥檚 body, pulling it further inside. With the backward-pointing teeth, the prey is held tightly and is unable to escape if it is still alive.

3. Snakes Can Still Smell By Flicking Their Tongues

Puerto Rican boa snake with tongue shown epicrates inornatus. Author Morel Mike, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Snakes can smell, but not in the same way we can. They actually smell using their mouths. The roof of their mouth has a special smell organ called the vomeronasal system. They use their tongues by way of flicking to sense chemicals in the air, and then transport them to the organ to smell them. The tongue is also very important as it also helps them avoid predators and is a mechanism to help them catch food.

4. They Shed Their Skins

Snake Shedded Skin on Bunch of Banana. Author Omelette2.

Just like human beings, snakes also shed their skin. The only difference is, whereas humans shed thousands of separate skin cells every day, snakes get it all over with in one go by shedding their entire skin as one at least 12 times a year, since it doesn’t grow along with the rest of their bodies, and there’s a new skin underneath. So why do snakes shed their skin whole?  The reason is that while the snake is growing, the skin doesn鈥檛 grow. Therefore, snakes have to shed their skin because it doesn’t fit anymore or because it’s old or worn out. Another reason is that it helps remove parasites that could harm the snake, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

This process of shedding skin is called ecdysis, and many factors can affect how and when snakes shed, including species, age, weather and temperature, nutritional health and the presence of bacteria or parasites. Younger snakes typically shed more than adults, because they are still growing. This process would happen before reproduction or after giving birth. 

5. Some Snakes Are Venomous And Not Poisonous As Always Thought

Juvenile Indochinese spitting cobra (Naja siamensis). Author Thai National Parks.

The term venomous is applied to organisms that bite (or sting) to inject their toxins, whereas the term poisonous applies to organisms that unload toxins when you eat them. This means that very few snakes are truly poisonous. Snakes that are venomous make their venom in their saliva glands, and then bite their prey to poison them.

There are over 600 kinds of venomous snakes, including the Black Mamba, the King Cobra etc. When people talk about dangerous snakes like black mambas and cobras, at least one person in the conversation will ask whether the snake is poisonous. Though this phrase has been used a lot it is not technically correct.

Read more here

6. They Play A Crucial Role In Maintaining Balance To Their Ecosystems

As indicated earlier, despite having no legs, snakes are crucial to the balance of life in their ecosystem. As predators, they are essential in keeping prey populations in balance. Without them, the food chain would collapse, overrunning many ecosystems with small mammals, rodents, birds, amphibians, and insects. Their presence is an absolute necessity to maintain their respective environments.

Get more here

7. They Are Cold Blooded

 Snakes, like all reptiles, are cold-blooded (also known as ectothermic). Simply put, they regulate their body temperature by lying in the sun to warm up, or moving into the shade to cool down. Although being cold-blooded may appear as a disadvantage, since these animals cannot regulate their body temperature internally, there are some distinct benefits snakes enjoy from being ectothermic. With this adaptation, they do not need to use any of their stored energy for this task, unlike their warm-blooded companions. As a result, snakes use their energy more slowly and require less food and nutrients. Now you know why you don鈥檛 often see them out hunting for food regularly like other animals.

8. The Longest Snake is 33 Feet Long

The largest snake was 33 feet long, 3 feet across at its widest part, and weighed about 880lbs. This is equivalent to four people. The snake was discovered at a construction site in Brazil.

9. You Can Find Them (Almost) Everywhere

West African gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica rhinoceros). Author TimVickers.

Snakes live on every continent in the world, except the north and south pole as these regions are way too chilly. There are also other parts of the world with no snakes. Ireland is famously snake-free (too cold) whilst Canada and Hawaii are also lacking in snakes. It’s actually illegal to own a snake in Hawaii, as they are a danger to local wildlife populations.

10. They Evolved Millions of Years Ago

Snakes have been in existence even before humans came into being. Infact, it is said that they have been around for at least 150 million years. Scientists believe that modern snakes evolved from similar reptiles, or maybe a marine mammal called a mosasaur.  They continue to say that some early snakes even had little stubby legs, and then gradually they evolved to slide along on their tummies, which is much easier.

11. They Don’t Have Ears

Ptyas Mucosa snake from Kottayam, Kerala. Author Deepugn.

Looking at their physical nature, you realize that they don’t have traditional, human-type ears like most mammals. Instead, they have an inner ear which is directly connected to their jawbone. The vibrations of the jawbone on the ground are ‘heard’ by the inner ear, which sends a message to the brain.

12. They Have Ribs Attached To Every Vertebrae Bone

Interestingly, they have ribs attached to every vertebrae bone, and, unlike human ribs, they don’t join at the front. This allows snakes to expand their insides while they are digesting large animals.

13. They Are Carnivores

Snakes are known to be carnivores, which mean they only eat meat. Smaller snakes eat prey such as mice, fish, insects or birds. Big snakes can eat much larger prey, like tortoises, rabbits, deer and even other snakes.

14. They Have Infrared Senses

Snakes have an infrared sense, which means they can sense living animals through how much heat they’re giving off, a unique phenomenon only to them in the animal kingdom. This is made possible by using small holes in their faces, called pit organs, near their mouths. This means that if they are hunting at night time, they can still ‘see’ their prey.

More stories here

15. They Can Also Fly

Snakes don’t just swim, they can also fly. Certain types of snake get around by flying (or, more accurately, gliding) through the air from tree to tree. This is achieved by the snake’s body acting as one giant wing, allowing it to move through the air without falling.