Snakes

by Steve Delceppo

Introduction

Information about snakes

Many snakes are harmless, but others such as the cobra and rattlesnake kill their prey with venom. Snakes do not chew their food, but swallow it whole. The lower jaw is in two halves and can stretch sideways so the snake can swallow larger animals then itself.

The rattle snake got its name from the loose bony rings at the tip of its tail, which it rattles as a warning.

The body of the sea snake is flattened from swimming. It lives in the warm Indian and Pacific oceans and eats fish and eels. The world’s most poisonous snake lives off the coast of North Australia.

The largest of the boas is the anaconda of South America, which can be over 6m in length. The boas and pythons kill their prey by constriction (crushing), rather than poison. They wrap themselves round their prey, usually a small animal or bird, and squeeze!

Donated by Steve Delceppo