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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
snakes,
serpents, asps |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata (Suborder Serpentes) |
| FAMILY: |
Over 15 families |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Over 3,000 species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Long, scale-covered vertebrates with limbless bodies.
They also lack eyelids and external ear openings.
Along the underside of the body, snakes have a specialized
row of scales. Some families of snake retain vestigial
pelvic girdles although none have pectoral girdles.
The bones of the upper jaw are not fused at the
snout, but can "unhinge". |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| SIZE: |
Ranges from 13 cm (5 inches) to over 11 m (36 ft)
in length |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| WEIGHT: |
Varies per individual and length; ranges from 1
g (0.002 lb.) to over 226.8 kg (500 lbs.) |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| DIET: |
All snakes are predators. Many species have highly
specialized diets. Some burrow into soil and feed
on worms and insects while others exclusively seek
out eggs or snails. Snakes also may prey on fishes,
birds, small mammals, amphibians, large invertebrates,
and even other reptiles, including other snakes. |
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| INCUBATION: |
Depends on species - may be oviparous (egg laying),
viviparous (live bearing) or ovoviviparous ("egg
live birth"). |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
text |
| BREEDING
PERIOD |
text |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Varies by species |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
10-40 years, depending on size |
| MALE |
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| FEMALE |
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| RANGE: |
Snakes are found throughout the tropical and temperate
regions of the world on every continent, save Antarctica.
They are most abundant in the tropics. |
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| HABITAT: |
Snakes
inhabit a vast range of environments, including
temperate forests, tropical jungles, grasslands,
deserts, swamps, and oceans. Essentially, the only
habitats in which they are not found are regions
of excessive and pervasive cold (i.e. polar regions). |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
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| LOCAL |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Many species listed |
| CITES |
Many species listed |
| USFWS |
Several species listed as threatened and one species
as endangered |
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| 1. |
A snake's skull is flexible in that the individual
bones are able to move away from each other. Elastic
ligaments connect the bones to each other. The
joint between the upper and lower jaw enables
the snake to open their jaws as widely as possible.
The two halves of the lower jaw are also connected
by ligaments, which enable the pieces to move
independently of one another. Such adaptations
are necessary for feeding on prey that is larger
than their head.
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| 2. |
Snake's teeth are not used to chew their food. The
prey, whether killed or still alive, is always swallowed
whole. Therefore, the skull must be able to withstand
an incredible amount of stress considering snakes
are able to take in prey that is 2 to 4 times the
width of their head. |
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| 3. |
Snakes have powerful digestive enzymes that can
break down tough materials like feathers, hair,
and bone. Some species inject saliva containing
venomous enzymes into their prey. The saliva is
injected through teeth called fangs. The venom causes
tissue damage and begins the digestive process.
Sometimes this venom can be quite dangerous in species
like cobras, rattlesnakes, kraits, vipers, and sea
snakes. There are approximately 300 snake species
that are considered extremely dangerous to humans,
although toxic elements can be found in the saliva
of many species considered nonvenomous. |
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| 4. |
Another feeding tactic used by snakes is constriction.
A constrictor loops its body around prey and exerts
pressure on its victim from two or more points as
the prey exhales. The constricted animal is prevented
from inhaling; death comes from suffocation. Many
of the largest snakes, such as the anaconda (Eunectes
murinus), are constrictors. Anacondas can reach
lengths of more than 7.6 m (25 ft.) and consume
birds and small mammals including deer and tropical
pigs called peccaries. One large specimen was found
to have a 1.8 m (6 ft.) caiman (a type of crocodilian)
in its stomach. |
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| 5. |
Lacking external ear openings, hearing in snakes
is geared for sensing vibrations. Their eyesight
is basically poor, sensitive only to movement.
Snakes usually find prey with their advanced sense
of smell. Snakes have a specialized organ called
the Jacobson's Organ, which consists of two pits
lined with a sensory tissue. When snakes flick
their tongue, tiny particles of scent are transported
to the pits of Jacobson's Organ, which then tells
the snake all about its prey.
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| 6. |
Pit
vipers have facial pits found below and between
the eye and nostril on both sides of the head. The
pit is highly sensitive to infrared radiation (heat)
and serves as a direction finder in locating warm-blooded
prey or predators. |
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| 6. |
The
rattlesnake's rattle is a series of hard segments
made of keratin. A new segment is added each time
a snake sheds. When shaken, the segments vibrate
against each other, producing a familiar buzz. |
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In their role as predators, snakes help keep small
animal, especially rodent, populations in check.
Snakes are often hunted for their meat and skin,
but mainly they are threatened by loss of habitat
and out of human fear. |
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Ashton,
Ray Jr. and Patricia Sawyer Ashton. Reptiles
and Amphibians of Florida: Part One, The Snakes.
Miami. Windward Pub., 1988.
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Mehrtens, John M. Living Snakes of the World.
New York. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 1987. |
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