Fun & Interesting Facts About Snakes
Snakes are interesting and unique animals. There are more than 3000 various snake species. Snakes can be found in every part of the world except in Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland, and New Zealand. Snakes come in different kinds of colours, shapes and sizes. The biggest ever snake that made a record was a python (reticulated) and its length was a bit more than 10 meters. They’re becoming a widely popular pet and at present more than 200,000 Australian households have a snake as a pet.
Here are 7 fun facts about snakes.
Snakes rely on the external temperature
They can’t generate body heat like humans and other mammals. Snakes are cold-blooded and depend on external heat to receive energy. Outside sources, for example, the sun, help them get heat and get the energy to move. When snakes are warmed up they can function throughout the day and night.
In case they’re too cold, snakes will struggle to move around, digest food or escape predators. To protect themselves from being too cold they bask in the sunlight, rest below a heat lamp or even find a hot spot to sleep. It is not rare to see snakes in the evening lying on the road or sidewalk getting heat from the ground.
Snakes are carnivorous
Unlike other cold-blooded creatures like lizards, snakes are carnivorous. Snakes eat only meat or animal eggs. Most snakes feed on the opportunity so their diet will vary depending on what prey they found. Usually, snakes feed on lizards, insects, small mammals, frogs, other snakes etc.
Smaller snakes like the ring-necked ones eat slugs, earthworms and amphibians. Bigger snakes like the green anaconda may eat mammals as big as pigs and deers! In captivity, many owners feed their reptiles rabbits, rats or mice based on their size.
Snakes can live for months without eating
Snakes are great at waiting for food. They have the ability to restrict the energy they consume as they’re cold-blooded. This means they can stop digesting the vital protein stores require for living. Some snake types can reduce metabolism by about 72%. If a mammal lacks food it rapidly starts to damage its organs. Interestingly, some snakes can live for over a year without eating. In the wilderness, this function has allowed snakes to adjust to such a large range of environments and become winning predators.
However, pet snakes must be fed timely. It’s a common mistake to not give them food routinely.
Boa constrictors, Pit vipers and Pythons can detect heat
Did you ever wonder how snakes catch their prey during the dark? Snakes can detect the heat of other animals with the two holes on their face known as pits. This makes it tough for prey to hide from them.
Snakes “hear” vibrations in their jawbones
Snakes cannot hear like other animals. Snakes use a bone known as a quadrate which is connected to their jaw. Snakes use this to sense vibrations!
Snakes shed their skin
They shed the skin between four to twelve times in one year. This happens because snakes are growing continuously, but their skin does not grow at the same time. Their old skin layer becomes extremely tight and so they must shed it. After that, they have new skin beneath!
Snakes are cold-blooded animals and are unfortunately still very misunderstood by many people. There are over 700 species of venomous snakes in the world. 33 of these species are in Australia with 4 local to the South West region. If you see a snake in the wild it is best to avoid it and it will leave you be.
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