Snakes – great variety

Snake Varieties

There are more than 2,700 snakes varieties spread all over the world in temperate and warm climates; the only part of the globe where snakes cannot live is Antarctica. 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 a minority in this incredibly large reptile family, but venom they inject in prey is so powerful that it could cause the death of a human being within a few minutes. Chronological research indicates that, the history and origins of snakes are lost in the Cretaceous period, some 150 million years ago, when it appears that snakes evolved from a lizard and adapted to a different living environment.

Snakes
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 making the subject of symbolic creations and being widely represented in the arts. Worshiped or hunted down as evil creatures, snakes surely have a fascination on human mind; yet, modern attitudes have changed towards snakes under the pressure of ecologist organization that insist on the importance of these creatures for the balance of ecosystems. And they couldn’t be more right.

Fascinating details in the lives of snakes indicate that not everything has been discovered 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’ response to vibrations, the incredible sense of smell and even the perception of low frequency sounds make them pretty out of the ordinary. The same amount of scientific respect is due in terms of anatomical programing by the presence of the infrared sensitive receptors that allow pit vipers for instance to detect the warmth of the prey’s body.

Snakes share their habitat with us, and people living in areas with a higher variety of snake species and sub-species should learn to distinguish between the hazardous or harmless specimens, and thus they reduce the risk of snakebites. Non-venomous snakes are not that friendly when sensing danger, therefore, a avoidance and respect of the snakes’ habitat remain the most effective prevention means. Do not attempt to kill, catch or hunt snakes: they will never come after you for the sake of just biting.

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Technorati Tags: Flora and Fauna, Venom, Venomous snake

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