55 Awesome and Amazing Facts About Snakes | Amazing Facts 4U
- Snakes are among the deadliest and most dangerous animals in the world killing 40,000 people annually frightening more people than any other animal in the world.
- There are around 3000 different species of snake.
- It is thought that snakes evolved from lizards losing their limbs in the evolution.
- Snakes are found on every continent of the world except Antarctica.
- Snakes live in oceans, trees, and on the land.
- Amazingly there are no snakes in New Zealand. There are also no venomous snakes in the Maine state of the US.
- Instead of eyelids, snakes have a transparent scale protecting their eye.
- Snakes are immune to their own poison.
- In fact, snakes continue to grow until the day they die.
- Even when a snake has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eye membranes.
- Snake’s scales are made up of Keratin the same material as our fingernails are made from. Snakes shed their entire skin nearly three times a year by molting.
- The eye of the snake goes milky just before they shed their skin.
- Snakes scales are smooth and dry and not slimy. Corn snakes use their scales as climbing equipment by angling the scales so that it digs into the bark, allowing them to climb trees.
- Snakes used in snake charming performances respond to the only movement, not sound. Snakes have internal ears but not external ones.
- Snakes have poor eyesight, and so possess heat sensors that can pick up vibrations.
- Snakes smell with their tongue and also taste chemical compositions in the air with it.
- Snakes are believed to have infrared imaging and they can sense prey using infrared.
- 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.
- Snakes have more than 200 teeth which are not used for chewing but to bite and grip their prey securely since they point backward. Snakes can’t bite food so have to swallow it whole.
- Snakes are the true carnivores since they don’t eat any type of plant. They eat nothing but other animals.
- Amazingly when snakes strike they have a near 100% success rate.
- Snakes have flexible jaws which allow them to eat prey 75 to 100 percent bigger than their own size. They have been known to eat animals such as crocodiles and cows.
- The stomach acids in a snake’s stomach can digest bones and teeth but not fur or hair.
- The amazing fact is when snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food.
- Pythons kill their prey by tightly wrapping around it and suffocating it in a process called constriction.
- It is a common misconception that snakes build nests for their eggs. Only one species of snake, the king cobra, will build a nest for its young.
- About 70 percent of snakes lay eggs. These types of snakes are called oviparous. The other 30 percent give birth to live young, much like mammals. This is because some climates are too cold for eggs to develop and hatch, so snakes living in colder climates do not lay eggs.
- The world’s smallest snake is the thread snake, which grows to only about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long looking like an earthworm.
- Reticulated Python can grow over 9 m (30 ft) in length and are considered the longest snakes in the world. They are highly aggressive and are also known to constrict even humans.
- The thickest and strongest snake is the Anaconda. The biggest one found measured 111 centimeters (44 inches around). But they are generally harmless to people. They can squeeze something their own weight to death.
- The flying snake of Java and Malaysia is able to flatten itself out like a ribbon and sail like a glider from tree to tree.
- The most venomous of all snakes, known as the Inland Taipan of Australia has enough venom in one bite to kill over 200,000 mice. It is found in the black soil plains where Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory borders meet.
- The amazing fact is that the inland Taipan could kill 100 people with a single bite but these snakes are shy and harmless for humans as there is still no record of a human fatality caused by it as yet.
- Philippine Cobra is the second deadliest snake though smaller in size average length is 1 meter. Its neurotoxic venom causes death in 30 minutes though tissue damage is minimal. The Philippine cobra is capable of spitting its venom up to three meters.
- Indian Krait is the third most venomous snake. Their venom is 16 times more effective than cobra venom quickly causing muscle paralysis. They are mostly found in India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
- King cobra is the world’s longest poisonous snake and may have lengths up to 22 Ft. It is mostly found in the forests of South East Asia and India.
- King Cobras are able to kill immediately after they are born. The King Cobra is also fond of eating other snakes.
- Cobras are the most aggressive snakes in the world. A drop of cobra’s venom can kill 50 humans. Its venom is strong enough to kill an elephant.
- The Spitting Cobra defends itself from predators by spitting its venom. It can spit up to a distance of 11 Ft.
- Sea snakes are also very venomous snakes. They could barely move on land but have the capability to kill 200 people.
- In fact, you can’t suck the venom out of a snake bite since the venom enters the bloodstream far too quickly to be sucked out effectively.
- Hognose Snakes are great actors. They trick predators by playing dead. They can also set off a rancid stench that will even fool the hungriest flies.
- Black Mamba is the longest venomous snake in African savannas and open woodlands averaging around 8 Ft and sometimes growing up to 14 Ft. Mamba uses its incredible speed to escape threats, not to hunt prey. It is known to be capable of reaching speeds of around 20 kilometers per hour traveling with up to a third of its body raised off the ground. It is the fastest moving land snake.
- When black mamba attacks, it will charge and strike up to a dozen times in a row, injecting more venom each time making it very dangerous. The mortality rate if bitten by a Black Mamba snake is over 95%.
How to Identify Poisonous Snakes
- Snake venom is a complex mixture of proteins that, once unleashed, rapidly spreads through the victim’s body. Neurotoxin venom, which destroys the nervous system, is the variety that kills quickest.
- Most venomous snakes usually have triangular-shaped heads unlike spoon-shaped rounded heads of nonpoisonous snakes. The triangular shape is due to venomous glands at the sides.
- Some venomous snakes have vertical eye slits, versus round pupils usually seen in non-venomous snakes.
- Look for a pit between the snake’s eyes and nostrils. A poisonous snake normally has a heat-sensitive pit there to locate warm-blooded prey. These are pit vipers. Non-poisonous snakes lack such pits.
- A snake with a rattle on its tail is a rattlesnake, which is poisonous.
- Notice the underside scales on the tip of the tail. Most venomous snakes have one row of scales there while non-poisonous snakes usually have two rows.
- If the snake is swimming with only its head above water, it is most likely a harmless water snake, but if the body is floating too, it could be a venomous snake as almost all venomous snakes swim with their lungs inflated, leaving the majority of their bodies afloat.
- Examine the bite marks in case of a snake attack. Two close-set puncture marks would indicate that the snake has fangs and is venomous. By contrast, a ragged bite mark means the snake lacks fangs, which only non-poisonous snakes have.
- A very bright-colored snake is likely to be poisonous. Most solid-colored snakes are not poisonous.
- There are exceptions to the rule. Don’t take chances with snakes. The coral snake found in the USA is a very poisonous snake but does not have a heat sensor, triangular face, or slit-like pupils. The color of a coral snake, however, is characteristic enough to identify.
- The black mamba, the cobra, the coral snake, and the inland taipan snake are venomous but have round pupils like most non-poisonous snakes.
Find more nuggets of wisdom on our website: www.eyeopenerquotes.com
