Snakes have slithered across our planet for millions of years, fascinating and sometimes frightening people with their unique abilities.
These legless reptiles come in thousands of species, each with special traits that help them survive in diverse environments.
From deserts to rainforests, snakes play important roles in nature by controlling pest populations and serving as food for larger animals.
This article contains general information about snakes for educational purposes.
Always observe snakes from a safe distance in the wild and never attempt to handle venomous species without proper training.
1. Snakes Smell With Their Tongues
When you see a snake flicking its tongue in and out, it’s actually gathering scent particles from the air.
The forked tongue picks up chemicals and delivers them to a special organ called the Jacobson’s organ on the roof of its mouth.
This incredible sensory system helps snakes track prey, find mates, and navigate their surroundings even in complete darkness.
2. Some Snakes Can Fly Through The Air
Paradise tree snakes in Southeast Asia launch themselves from branches and flatten their bodies to glide between trees.
They can travel distances up to 100 meters through the air by wiggling their bodies in an S shape motion.
Scientists have discovered these flying snakes are actually better gliders than flying squirrels when comparing body size to distance travelled.
3. Snakes Cannot Chew Their Food
Without any chewing teeth, snakes must swallow their meals completely whole, no matter how large.
Their lower jaw bones are connected by stretchy ligaments that allow their mouths to open incredibly wide.
A snake’s skin and body can expand to accommodate prey three times wider than its own head, making for quite the impressive feeding spectacle.
4. The Reticulated Python Is the World’s Longest Snake
Reaching lengths over 6 metres regularly, reticulated pythons hold the record as Earth’s longest snake species.
The biggest confirmed specimen measured an astounding 7.67 metres and weighed 158 kilograms.
These massive constrictors live throughout Southeast Asia and despite their intimidating size, they prefer hunting animals like pigs, deer, and monkeys rather than people.
5. Snakes Existed Alongside Dinosaurs
Fossil evidence shows snakes slithered around during the age of dinosaurs over 100 million years ago.
The earliest snake ancestors likely evolved from lizards that gradually lost their legs while adapting to burrowing lifestyles.
Unlike dinosaurs, snakes survived the massive extinction event 66 million years ago and continued evolving into the diverse species we see today.
6. Sea Snakes Can Hold Their Breath for Hours
Marine snakes have adapted remarkably to ocean life, with some species staying submerged for up to eight hours without surfacing for air.
They absorb small amounts of oxygen directly through their skin while underwater.
Sea snakes also possess flattened, paddle shaped tails for swimming and have valves that close their nostrils when diving beneath the waves.
7. King Cobras Build Nests For Their Eggs
Among all snake species, king cobras stand out as devoted parents who actually construct nests from leaves and vegetation.
The mother guards her eggs fiercely for about 60 to 80 days until they hatch.
She stays close by without eating during this entire period, protecting her future babies from predators with aggressive displays and potentially deadly strikes if threatened.
8. Snakes Shed Their Entire Skin Regularly
Growing snakes must regularly shed their old skin in a process called ecdysis, peeling off the entire outer layer in one continuous piece.
Young, fast growing snakes might shed every few weeks, while adults typically shed several times yearly.
Before shedding, their eyes turn cloudy blue as fluid builds between old and new skin layers, temporarily reducing their vision.
9. Some Snakes Give Birth to Live Young
Not all snakes lay eggs like most people assume.
About 70 percent of snake species are oviparous and lay eggs, but the remaining 30 percent give birth to fully formed baby snakes.
Boa constrictors, garter snakes, and sea snakes are viviparous, meaning their babies develop inside the mother’s body and emerge ready to survive independently from birth.
10. Pythons Can Sense Heat With Special Organs
Pythons and some other snakes possess heat sensing organs called pit organs located along their jaw lines.
These remarkable sensors detect infrared radiation, allowing snakes to create thermal images of their surroundings.
This superpower lets them hunt warm blooded prey in total darkness by detecting temperature differences as small as 0.003 degrees Celsius from a metre away.
