Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) Buy this Print at AllPosters.com

Snakes are small, legless reptiles, and, like all reptiles, have scales and tails. They range in size from 3 inches long to 20 feet long. Snakes need camouflage, so their scales may be different colors; black, green, white, and gray with brown diamonds, and many more. They are cold blooded, that means that their blood temperature is the same as their environment. A normal life span can be anywhere from 30 years to 40 years, depending on the species.

Types

There are many different types of snakes, such as the Cobra, Boa, Python, and Vipers. Some types are poisonous, like Rattlesnake, Copperhead, some Coral Snakes, and Cobra.

There are 5 families that live in North America.

1. Slender Blind Snakes, which have a single lung, and burrow. Example: Texas Blind
2. Boas and Pythons, which have an extremely flexible jaw, allowing them the swallow food 10 times their size. Example: Rubber Boa
3. Colubrid Snakes, which are the typical snakes with over 2000 species in the world. Example: Worm Snake, Indigo Snake
4. Cobras and Coral Snakes, Cobras have hoods, Coral snakes spend most of their time underground. Example: Western Coral, Yellow Belly Sea Snake
5. Vipers, which are the most advanced snake, and have vertical pupils. Example: Copperhead, Sidewinder

How Snakes Move

Snakes move without legs. Instead, they have complicated muscles that expand and contract to push them along. Some snakes have rough and tough scales for protection, and others have smooth scales to help them glide along the sand. Most snakes move by slithering. They use small muscles in their belly to push them along. The fastest is the Black Mamba, which travels at 12 miles per hour. Another way of movement is by "skipping". This is done by the Sidewinder, which moves quickly and travels sideways.

Spiral - Deadly Intentio Buy this Poster at AllPosters.com

Hunting

Snakes eat small animals or eggs, while some Boas eat deer. Snakes use different methods for getting food: constricting, injecting venom, and spraying venom into the eyes. The Cobra sprays venom in the eyes and swallows the small animal. The Boa constricts its enemies until they can't breath. The Python sits and waits in the forest until a small creature comes close and then strikes at it.

Shedding

All snakes need to shed. They do this because they are outgrowing their old skin. When snakes shed, their skin becomes itchy all over and starts becoming pale. When this happens, they rub themselves against a boulder, rock, or pebble. Shedding usually takes about 2 or 3 weeks. Once they are done shedding, their skin that was growing under the old is exposed and is cleaner and shinier. When snakes shed, they are blind so they try to stay still so they don't get eaten.

Reproduction

During the courting stage, the snakes often rub against each other. Then, their tails intertwine as the male quickly inserts one of his hemipenes into the female. They may stay intertwined for several hours up to a whole day. Occasionally, they will mate again later on or on another day.

Babies can grow in the egg or be like a mammal and grow in the mother. When they do grow inside the mother, they are born when they are big enough, just like humans. This is called a "live birth" and can take 4-8 months from pregnancy to birth. The other way is inside an egg. With egg layers it takes about 2-4 months from pregnancy to laying the egg. Then the eggs take from 1-3 months to hatch. Snakes can lay or give birth to between 2 and 100 babies at a time.

Eyelash viper snake, Costa Rica Buy this Print at AllPosters.com

Where to Find Snakes

Snakes live all over the world. Australia has the most species of snakes in the world. If you go out into a forest, desert, or lake looking for snakes, try looking under rocks, logs, damp places, and holes. Also, some might be inside logs. If you do go looking for them, make sure you have a snake manual to check and see if it's poisonous or not. Also, you will want to wear boots and gloves for safety, because all snakes will bite and it may hurt, even if it isn't poisonous.

Reptiles

Alligators, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and turtles are all reptiles. Reptiles are air-breathing animals with backbones and a covering of tough scales. There are almost 6,000 species. Most reptiles are found on land, but some live in the sea or in fresh water. Reptiles spend most of their time on land and lay soft-shelled eggs. The young look like small adults. They cannot live in cold places because they need warmth to give them energy.