Some people love snakes. Others dislike or even fear them. No matter how you feel about snakes, they play an important role. All snakes are carnivores and most of them eat rodents, such as mice, rabbits and rats. Rodents eat human food and crops. They also carry disease. Snakes keep rodent populations under control. Without their help, rodents would overrun the earth.
Snakes Facts For Kids
- Long, legless reptiles.
- Some can be very colorful.
- They shed their skin.
- Not all snakes are venomous.
- Eat prey whole.
- Lay eggs or give live birth.
- Use their tongue to smell.
- No eyelids, always “open-eyed”.
- Can live in various habitats.
- Slither to move around.
Slithering
The captivating and fascinating slithering movement of snakes, a feature that particularly intrigues children, is a distinct attribute derived from the snake’s muscular system and unique ventral scales on their belly.
These scales are specifically adapted to grip surfaces, enabling the snake to propel itself forward or sideways via a slithering motion generated through a series of waves created along its body as the snake contracts its muscles and moves its ribs.
This slithering ability, despite the absence of arms or legs, allows snakes to display remarkable versatility and adaptability, enabling them to climb trees, swim, and move rapidly.
Venom
Snakes, intriguing creatures in their own right, posses a fascinating feature in the form of their venom. This venom, a complex concoction of proteins and enzymes, is produced by special glands and delivered through sharp fangs, serving as a tool for immobilizing and digesting prey.
Interestingly, not all snakes are venomous, but those equipped with this potent weapon warrant respect and should be observed from a safe distance, especially by children.
This venom, despite its potentially lethal reputation, is being meticulously studied by scientists for its potential medicinal applications.
Constrictors
Constrictor snakes are a captivating species of reptiles, distinguished by their exceptional method of capturing and consuming prey. Rather than using toxins like their venomous counterparts, constrictors like pythons and boas exploit their robust, muscular physique to constrict and suffocate their prey.
This process involves tightly coiling around their meals and applying pressure with each exhalation of the victim, eventually inhibiting the ability to breathe. Constrictors possess a unique jaw that can stretch and dislocate to ingest their prey whole, often larger than themselves.
Despite their imposing presence, constrictors pose no threat to humans, given they predominantly feast on smaller creatures and only resort to aggression in self-defense.
Scales
Snakes are captivating creatures, primarily enveloped in scales, which serve as a protective layer akin to human skin, offering defense against injuries, dehydration, and some predators. Their body structure is unique, lacking eyelids but possessing a specific scale form known as a spectacle, designed to safeguard their eyes.
Composed of keratin, the same substance constituting human nails and hair, these scales offer an intriguing insight into the snake’s habitat and lifestyle. For instance, aquatic snakes usually exhibit smooth scales, whereas arboreal snakes possess rough scales to aid in gripping.
Cold-blooded
Snakes, captivating creatures acknowledged for their adaptability to diverse temperatures, are cold-blooded reptiles. Unlike humans, they do not have the capacity to internally moderate their body temperature and are thus reliant on external heat sources.
These reptiles often bask in the sun or rest on heated rocks to increase their body temperature, explaining their frequent sun-soaked appearances. Conversely, in chillier weather, their body temperature drops, leading to decreased activity and eventual hibernation as movement becomes more challenging.
These adaptations reflect the remarkable ways snakes have evolved to ensure survival across various environments.
Reptiles
Snakes, an intriguing and fascinating aspect of the reptile family, captivate children’s interest. With a global presence spanning over 3,000 different species, snakes boast a remarkable diversity in shape, size, and color. For instance, the tiny Barbados thread snake measures a mere four inches, while the massive reticulated python can extend up to an impressive 30 feet.
These cold-blooded creatures, whose body temperature fluctuates with their surroundings, lack both eyelids and external ears. However, their hunting skills are exceptional, using their forked tongues to capture scent particles and heat-sensing organs to track their prey.
Despite their allure for learning and exploration, it’s crucial to remember to respect snakes by maintaining a safe distance.
Hibernation
Snakes are captivating creatures with unique behaviors, particularly their hibernation patterns that starkly contrast with year-round active humans. As cold-blooded animals, snakes lack the ability to regulate their body temperature like humans, leading them into a deep sleep or hibernation during colder months to conserve energy and cope with the cold. The duration of this hibernation can extend up to six months, varying with the climate. Throughout this period, snakes seek warm, secure locations such as burrows or beneath rocks to hibernate. As spring arrives and temperatures rise, snakes emerge from their hibernation state, revitalized and ready to resume their activities.
Molting
Snakes, intriguing creatures that they are, possess a remarkable feature known as molting, or ecdysis, which involves shedding their old skin. This natural and vital process, which enables their growth and can happen numerous times throughout the year, initiates with snakes rubbing against rough surfaces to ease off the old skin.
Subsequently, beginning from their head, they manage to slither out, often leaving behind a complete piece of old skin. While this may appear peculiar to us, it’s an absolutely essential aspect of a snake’s life.
Predators
Snakes are intriguing animals that possess a broad range of predators, varying based on their size and species. Birds of prey, such as eagles, hawks, and owls, frequently prey on young and small snakes, along with larger frogs, foxes, raccoons, and even larger snakes. Notably, some mongoose species are recognized as prominent snake predators, thanks to their agility, dense fur, and specialized receptors rendering them immune to snake venom.
Nevertheless, snakes employ various defense mechanisms against these predators, including camouflaging to merge with their surroundings, hissing to intimidate threats, and utilizing their venom for self-defense.
Eggs or live birth
Snakes are captivating creatures and their reproduction methods are particularly intriguing. There are two main ways in which snakes procreate: either they lay eggs or give birth to live young. The majority, approximately 70%, are oviparous, laying eggs in warm and secure environments. Interestingly, the mother snake generally leaves and does not return to the eggs, except in certain species like pythons, which protect and warm their eggs.
The remaining 30% of snakes, including boas and vipers, are viviparous, giving birth to live young. Instead of laying eggs, these snakes carry their offspring internally until they are ready to emerge into the world. Indeed, the diverse reproductive methods of snakes are truly fascinating.
There are over 3,000 species of snakes. Because snakes can’t regulate their body temperature, they need sunlight to keep them warm. This is why most snakes live in hot, humid places, such as the rainforest. Some snakes are smaller than a pencil. Others are as long as your school bus. All snakes have a few things in common, though. They have long, thin bodies and no limbs. Snakes have eyes that don’t blink. They are also covered in scales.
The largest snakes in the world are the python, anaconda and boa constrictors. The green anaconda can grow to a whopping 30 ft and weigh up to 500 lb. Some of the most dangerous snakes in the world are – Black Mamba, King Cobra and Inland taipan. The Inland taipan is also know as the Fierce snake and a single drop of venom is so toxic it can kill 100 men, yikes. Luckily enough they are not an aggressive snake.
Snakes are though reptiles, they have been around for millions of years and survived when dinosaurs died away. Apart from Antarctica snakes are found on all continents. They hibernate during the winter season. They can smell using their tongues. Some snakes have heat vision, they can hunt by seeing heat from their intended prey. This makes up for their poor eyesight.
As much as we fear being bitten by snakes, their venom can be a life saver. Snake venom is used along with other medicine to produce antivenom. Did you know that there is a flying snake? Yes they exist, known by their scientific name “Chrysopelea“. They glide through through the air They can glide as much as 100 meters from tree to tree.
Fun Facts about Snakes for Kids
- There are 700 species of venomous snakes in the world. Around 250 of those can kill a human with one bite.
- Only four venomous snakes live in the United States – rattlesnakes, water moccasins/cottonmouths, coral snakes and copperheads. Most of these snakes are found in swamps and marshy areas in the southeastern United States.
- In the U.S., about 7,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes every year. Only five people die from snake bites. Prompt medical treatment saves lives.
- Snakes lay eggs. Some snakes incubate the eggs in their bodies and give birth to live babies.
- Venomous snakes are poisonous from birth. The young are actually more dangerous than older snakes, because they’re more likely to strike. Older snakes usually try to flee.
- Most snakes are shy, not aggressive. They just want to be left alone.
Snake Vocabulary
- Population: group
- Overrun: take over, ruin, destroy
- Regulate: control
- Venomous: poisonous
- Aggressive: fierce, quick to attack
Learn More All About Snakes
Watch this amazing video about how snakes behave:
A documentary about snakes.
Snake Q&A
Question: Do snakes care for their babies?
Answer: King cobras fiercely protect their eggs. Once the babies are born, they stay with their mother for no more than a week or two before heading out on their own.
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Question: Do snakes make good pets?
Answer: Some people like to keep snakes as pets. Snakes can live a long time and become very large, so it’s important to choose snakes carefully.
