Snake Facts

With the exception of Antarctica, snakes are everywhere on the globe in warm and temperate geographical areas. Snakes vary in size from a few centimeters to more than nine meters in the case of the anacondas or the pythons. Poisonous snakes are far less numerous in this incredibly large reptile family, but their toxic poison is so powerful that it could cause the death of a human being within a few minutes. According to studies, the history and origins of snakes go back to the Cretaceous period, some 150 million years ago, when snakes are assumed to have evolved from a lizard and adapted to a different living habitat.

Primitive distinctive marks of this ancestry are still present with some snakes, this is the case with pythons and boas that still have hind limbs remains, which only point to a past when snakes resembled lizards a lot more. Snakes or serpents are present in all cultures, carrying symbolic meanings and being widely illustrated in the arts. Worshiped or hunted down as evil creatures, snakes surely have a fascination on human mind; yet, modern attitudes are partly different towards snakes particularly under the emphasis of the ecological movements that stress out the importance of these creatures for the balance of ecosystems. And many factors confirm such opinions.

There are many aspects in the life of snakes that fascinate scientists and indicate that there are more things to learn about the many existing species. Thus, it is interesting to study how the patterns on the body of snakes differentiate between individuals even within the same species. Then, snakes’ sensitivity to vibrations, the incredible sense of smell and even the reception of low frequency sounds make them pretty out of the ordinary. Infrared sensitivity and the ability to detect body warmth from the distance, causes further awe among snakes researchers.

Common habitats for humans and snakes are a reality, and people from areas with a higher variety of snake groups and sub-groups should learn to distinguish between the hazardous or harmless specimens, and thus avoid them accordingly. Non-venomous snakes could also bite and injure one seriously when sensing danger, therefore, a healthy attitude towards such animals will save you a lot of trouble. Do not attempt to kill, catch or hunt snakes: they will never come after you for the sake of just biting.

Technorati Tags: Reptile, Reptiles, Snake, Snakes

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