Animal Unique | Snake | Snakes are elongate, limbless, flexible reptiles. There are approximately 2700 species of snakes, 375 of these are poisonous. Most species are nonvenomous and those that are primarily used poison to kill and to subdue prey rather than for self defense. Some have poison potent enough to cause painful injury or death to humans. Nonvenomous snakes swallow prey either alive or kill by constriction. Hoses can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Many species of snakes have skulls with more joints than their lizard ancestors, making them prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws to swallow. Snakes are found in many habitats in the water, forests, deserts and prairies.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Superfamily: Varanoidea
(unranked): Pythonomorpha
Suborder: Serpentes, Linnaeus, 1758
Cobras, vipers, and closely related species to use poison to immobilize or kill their prey. The poison is modified saliva, delivered through fangs.Venom, like all salivation is a predigestant that initiates the breakdown of food into soluble compounds, facilitate proper digestion. Even nonvenomous snake bites (like any animal bite) will cause tissue damage. Snake's venom are complex mixtures of proteins, and are stored in poison glands at the back of the head. In all venomous snakes, these glands open through ducts into grooved or hollow teeth in the upper jaw.Venomous hemotoxins snakes usually use fangs at the front of their mouth, making it easier for them to the poison inject into their victims.
Snakes consume a variety of items including termites, rodents, birds, frogs, small deer and other reptiles. Snakes eat their prey whole and are able to prey three times larger than the diameter of their head because they consume lower jaw can separate from the upper jaw. To prevent escaping prey, snakes have rear-facing teeth keep their prey in their mouths. Smaller snakes eat smaller prey. Young pythons feed on lizards can start or mice and graduate to small deer or antelope as an adult, for example. Poisonous snakes inject their prey with poison, while constrictors squeeze their prey. They do not need to hunt every day. Anacondas and pythons can survive up to one year without food after feeding. Snakes hunt mostly at night.
Snakes usually do not prey on humans, and most will not attack unless people the snake is startled or injured, but prefer to avoid contact. With the exception of large constrictors, nonvenomous snakes are no threat to humans. The bite of nonvenomous snakes is usually harmless because their teeth are designed to grab and hold, rather than tearing or inflicting a deep puncture wound. Although the possibility of infection and tissue damage is present in the bite of a nonvenomous snake, poisonous snakes present far greater hazard to humans.
The skin of a snake is covered with scales. Contrary to popular notion of snakes slimy because of possible confusion of snakes with worms, snakeskin has a smooth, dry texture. Most snakes use special belly scales to travel gripping surfaces. The eyelids of a snake are transparent "spectacle" scales which remain permanently closed, also known as brilliance. A snake shedding its skin. Moulting occurs periodically throughout life a snake. The inside of the old skin liquefies. After a few days, the eyes clear and the snake "crawls" out of its old skin. The old skin breaks near the mouth of the serpent winds, aided by rubbing against rough surfaces. A new, larger, clear layer of skin has formed underneath.
An older snake may shed its skin only once or twice a year. But a young snake, still growing, may shed up to four times a year. The discarded skin gives a perfect impression of the scale pattern and it is usually possible to determine whether the discarded snake skin is intact. Some snakes, like the Asian vine snake, have binocular vision with both eyes capable of focusing at the same point. Snakes use smell to track their prey. Aquatic snakes, such as the Anaconda, the tongue functions efficiently under water. The part of the body in direct contact with the ground is very sensitive to vibrations, so a snake can sense other animals approaching through detecting faint vibrations in the air and on the ground.
An older snake may shed its skin only once or twice a year. But a young snake, still growing, may shed up to four times a year. The discarded skin gives a perfect impression of the scale pattern and it is usually possible to determine whether the discarded snake skin is intact. Some snakes, like the Asian vine snake, have binocular vision with both eyes capable of focusing at the same point. Snakes use smell to track their prey. Aquatic snakes, such as the Anaconda, the tongue functions efficiently under water. The part of the body in direct contact with the ground is very sensitive to vibrations, so a snake can sense other animals approaching through detecting faint vibrations in the air and on the ground.
In some parts of the world, especially in India, snake charming is a roadside show performed by a charmer. In one such show, the snake charmer carries a basket that contains a snake which he seemingly charms by playing tunes from his trashy like musical instrument, which the snake responds. They do have internal ears, and respond to the motion of the flute, and not the actual sound. In some cultures the consumption of snakes is acceptable or even considered a delicacy, prized for its alleged pharmaceutical effect of warming the heart. Snake soup of Cantonese cuisine is consumed by the locals in the autumn, to warm their bodies. Western cultures document the consumption of snakes under extreme circumstances of hunger.
In the Western world, some snakes (especially docile species such as the ball python and corn snake) kept as pets. To meet this demand a captive breeding industry has developed. Snakes bred in captivity animals tend to develop the site and are considered preferable to wild caught specimens. Snakes can be very low maintenance pets, especially compared to more traditional types. They require minimal space, as most species do not exceed five feet in length.
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