There are over 2,900 species of snakes ranging as far northward as the Arctic Circle.
Snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and many smaller land masses. There are some larger islands from which snakes are absent, such as Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
After being kept captive at Caesarea for two years, Saint Paul had appealed to Nero Caesar, and been sent to Rome. En route to the Roman city with other prisoners the Christian apostle was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. He gathered a pile of brushwood and as he put it on the fire, a poisonous viper driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. When the superstitious local population saw that Paul was unhurt, they decided he was a god.
For 40 days St Patrick had been on the Crough Patrick mountain, weeping, fasting and praying that Ireland might be delivered from the hands of the pagans. Every night an angel appeared to him bringing along a list of God's promises. Patrick stubbornly refused to leave the mountain top until the Lord promised him one more thing, that at the last judgement it would be Patrick who pronounced sentence on the Irish people. At last he obtained the promise and Patrick descended the mountain only to cast all snakes out of Ireland.
Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice had a pet snake named Emily Spinach. She liked to carry it around the White House in her purse and take it out at unexpected moments.
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| Pixiebay |
Snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and many smaller land masses. There are some larger islands from which snakes are absent, such as Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
SNAKES IN HISTORY
After being kept captive at Caesarea for two years, Saint Paul had appealed to Nero Caesar, and been sent to Rome. En route to the Roman city with other prisoners the Christian apostle was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. He gathered a pile of brushwood and as he put it on the fire, a poisonous viper driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. When the superstitious local population saw that Paul was unhurt, they decided he was a god.
For 40 days St Patrick had been on the Crough Patrick mountain, weeping, fasting and praying that Ireland might be delivered from the hands of the pagans. Every night an angel appeared to him bringing along a list of God's promises. Patrick stubbornly refused to leave the mountain top until the Lord promised him one more thing, that at the last judgement it would be Patrick who pronounced sentence on the Irish people. At last he obtained the promise and Patrick descended the mountain only to cast all snakes out of Ireland.
Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice had a pet snake named Emily Spinach. She liked to carry it around the White House in her purse and take it out at unexpected moments.
A number of snakes that had disappeared from London Zoo were found by police in the cellar of a North London house on March 21, 1967. A 16-year-old boy was charged with stealing 24 snakes and a snake bag. Eight poisonous reptiles and one harmless sand boa were found dead. An official said: "Whoever handled the snakes is the luckiest person in London tonight."
In the 1970s shock rocker Alice Cooper's stage act featured a boa constrictor hugging him on-stage. Sadly in 1977, the singer's snake was bitten by a live rat as it was being fed for breakfast and the boa constrictor died.
The legless reptiles range in size from the tiny, 10.4 cm (4 inch)-long thread snake to the reticulated python of 6.95 meters (22.8 ft) in length. The latter is the longest snake in the world and can be found in South Asia.
Medusa - the longest snake ever living in captivity - was measured and found to be 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in) long on October 12, 2011.The reticulated python is owned by Full Moon Productions Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Snakes have no ears so they flick their tongues in and out to pick up sound waves.
Snakes have forked tongues to be able to smell in three dimensions. By picking up odors from slightly different locations they are able to tell the direction and source of the smell.
Snakes have transparent eyelids, which means even when the reptile has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eyelids. This means snakes can't blink and they must sleep with their eyes still seeing.
Snakes can open their mouth up to 150 degrees.
Because they are cold-blooded, snakes do not have to eat so regularly as mammals. Some snakes can go as long as six months without a good meal.
Snakes swallow their food whole, and they cannot chew.
Snakes yawn regularly as a way of keeping their jaws limber or adjusting their bite after they’ve swallowed a large meal.
A garter snake can give birth to 85 babies.
When you put a snake into space, some tie themselves in knots while others attack themselves.
The puff adder is the first terrestrial snake observed using "lingual luring"—it tricks frogs into thinking its tongue is food.
A collar and lead to enable snake owners to take their pet for walks was patented in the US in 2002.
The fastest moving land snake is the Black Mamba. They can reach top speeds of 10-12 mph in short bursts over level ground.
Only about two per cent of the world’s snakes are poisonous.
Australia is the only continent with more venomous snakes than there are non-venomous ones.
The Inland Taipan or "fierce snake", which is endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia, is the most venomous snake in the world. However, because of its shy nature and timid nature there has never been a recorded death caused by its bite. The word "fierce" describes its venom, not its temperament.
The original "Snake Oil Salesman" wasn't convicted of selling snake oil, he was convicted of selling FAKE snake oil. Oil from Chinese Water Snakes was considered a legit medicine at the time, but Clark Stanley was convicted in 1917 of selling fake snake oil.
Ophidiophobia (phobia of snakes) is one of the most common and intense phobia among the general population. A study reported that around 50% of people experience dreams about snakes.
In the 1970s shock rocker Alice Cooper's stage act featured a boa constrictor hugging him on-stage. Sadly in 1977, the singer's snake was bitten by a live rat as it was being fed for breakfast and the boa constrictor died.
ANATOMY
The legless reptiles range in size from the tiny, 10.4 cm (4 inch)-long thread snake to the reticulated python of 6.95 meters (22.8 ft) in length. The latter is the longest snake in the world and can be found in South Asia.
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| Reticulated python By Mariluna, |
Medusa - the longest snake ever living in captivity - was measured and found to be 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in) long on October 12, 2011.The reticulated python is owned by Full Moon Productions Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Snakes have no ears so they flick their tongues in and out to pick up sound waves.
Snakes have forked tongues to be able to smell in three dimensions. By picking up odors from slightly different locations they are able to tell the direction and source of the smell.
Snakes have transparent eyelids, which means even when the reptile has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eyelids. This means snakes can't blink and they must sleep with their eyes still seeing.
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| Rattlesnake Pixiebay |
Snakes can open their mouth up to 150 degrees.
BEHAVIOR
Because they are cold-blooded, snakes do not have to eat so regularly as mammals. Some snakes can go as long as six months without a good meal.
Snakes swallow their food whole, and they cannot chew.
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| Neonate queen snake eatimg a crayfish | by Pete & Noe Woods |
Snakes yawn regularly as a way of keeping their jaws limber or adjusting their bite after they’ve swallowed a large meal.
A garter snake can give birth to 85 babies.
When you put a snake into space, some tie themselves in knots while others attack themselves.
The puff adder is the first terrestrial snake observed using "lingual luring"—it tricks frogs into thinking its tongue is food.
FUN SNAKE FACTS
A collar and lead to enable snake owners to take their pet for walks was patented in the US in 2002.
The fastest moving land snake is the Black Mamba. They can reach top speeds of 10-12 mph in short bursts over level ground.
Only about two per cent of the world’s snakes are poisonous.
Australia is the only continent with more venomous snakes than there are non-venomous ones.
The Inland Taipan or "fierce snake", which is endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia, is the most venomous snake in the world. However, because of its shy nature and timid nature there has never been a recorded death caused by its bite. The word "fierce" describes its venom, not its temperament.
The original "Snake Oil Salesman" wasn't convicted of selling snake oil, he was convicted of selling FAKE snake oil. Oil from Chinese Water Snakes was considered a legit medicine at the time, but Clark Stanley was convicted in 1917 of selling fake snake oil.
Ophidiophobia (phobia of snakes) is one of the most common and intense phobia among the general population. A study reported that around 50% of people experience dreams about snakes.
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