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77 Interesting Facts About Snakes by Nobody: 6:28pm On Jun 03, 2017 |
1 [8] What is
considered the
most
“dangerous”
snake depends on
both a specific country’s health
care and the
availability of
antivenom
following a bite.
Based on these criteria, the most
dangerous snake
in the world is
the saw-scaled
viper, which bites
and kills more people each year
than any other
snake. 2 [14] Snakes live on
everywhere on
Earth except
Ireland, Iceland,
New Zealand, and
the North and South Poles.a 3 [1] Of the
approximately
725 species of
venomous snakes
worldwide, 250
can kill a human with one bite. 4 [18] Snakes evolved
from a four-
legged reptilian
ancestor—most
likely a small,
burrowing, land- bound lizard—
about 100 million
years ago. Some
snakes, such as
pythons and
boas, still have traces of back
legs. 5 [2] The fear of
snakes
(ophiophobia or
herpetophobia) is
one of the most
common phobias worldwide.
Approximately 1/3
of all adult
humans are
ophidiophobic,
which suggests that humans
have an innate,
evolutionary fear
of snakes. 6 [9] The top 5 most
venomous snakes
in the world are
the inland taipan,
the eastern
brown snake, the coastal taipan,
the tiger snake,
and the black
tiger snake. 7 [16] The warmer a
snake’s body,
the more quickly
it can digest its
prey. Typically, it
takes 3–5 days for a snake to
digest its meal.
For very large
snakes, such as
the anaconda,
digestion can take weeks. 8 [2] Some animals,
such as the
Mongoose, are
immune to snake
venom. 9 [19] To avoid
predators, some
snakes can poop
whenever they
want. They make
themselves so dirty and smelly
that predators
will run away. 10 [5] The heaviest
snake in the
world is the
anaconda. It
weighs over 595
pounds (270 kg) and can grow to
over 30 feet
(9m) long. It has
been known to
eat caimans,
capybaras, and jaguars. 11 [18] The Brahminy
Blind Snake, or
flowerpot snake,
is the only snake
species made up
of solely females and, as such,
does not need a
mate to
reproduce. It is
also the most
widespread terrestrial snake
in the world. 12 [18] If a person
suddenly turned
into a snake,
they would be
about 4 times
longer than they are now and only
a few inches
thick. While
humans have 24
ribs, some snakes
can have more than 400. 13 [18] The most
advanced snake
species in the
world is believed
to be the black
mamba. It has the most highly
evolved venom
delivery system
of any snake on
Earth. It can
strike up to 12 times in a row,
though just one
bite is enough to
kill a grown man.o 14 [16] The inland taipan
is the world’s
most toxic snake,
meaning it has
both the most
toxic venom and it injects the
most venom when
it bites. Its venom
sacs hold enough
poison to kill up
to 80 people. 15 [7] The death adder
has the fastest
strike of any
snake in the
world. It can
attack, inject venom, and go
back to striking
position in under
0.15 seconds. 16 [3] While snakes do
not have
external ears or
eardrums, their
skin, muscles, and
bones carry sound vibrations
to their inner
ears. 17 [1] Some snakes
have been known
to explode after
eating a large
meal. For
example, a 13- foot python blew
up after it tried
to eat a 6-foot
alligator. The
python was found
with the alligator’s tail
protruding from
its midsection. Its
head was missing. 18 [14] The word
“snake” is from
the Proto-Indo-
European root
*sneg-, meaning
“to crawl, creeping thing.”
The word
“serpent” is
from the Proto-
Indo-European
root *serp-, meaning “to
crawl, creep.” 19 [15] Rattlesnake
rattles are made
of rings of
keratin, which is
the same material
as human hair and fingernails. A
rattler will add a
new ring each
time it sheds its
skin. 20 [19]21 [5] There are about
500 genera and
3,000 different
species of snakes.
All of them are
predators. 22 [1] Naturalist Paul
Rosolie attempted
to be the first
person to survive
being swallowed
by an anaconda in 2014. Though
he was wearing a
specially designed
carbon fiber suit
equipped with a
breathing system, cameras, and a
communication
system, he
ultimately called
off his stunt
when he felt like the anaconda
was breaking his
arm as it
tightened its grip
around his body. 23 [12] There are five
recognized
species of flying
snakes. Growing
up to 4 feet,
some types can glide up to 330
feet through the
air. 24 [18] Scales cover
every inch of a
snake’s body,
even its eyes.
Scales are thick,
tough pieces of skin made from
keratin, which is
the same material
human nails and
hair are made
from. 25 [11] The most common
snake in North
America is the
garter (gardener)
snake. This snake
is also Massachusetts’s
state reptile.
While previously
thought to be
nonvenomous,
garter snakes do, in fact, produce a
mild neurotoxic
venom that is
harmless to
humans. 26 [1] Snakes do not
lap up water like
mammals do.
Instead, they
dunk their snouts
underwater and use their throats
to pump water
into their
stomachs. 27 [2] A snake’s fangs
usually last about
6–10 weeks.
When a fang
wears out, a new
one grows in its place. 28 [11] Because the end
of a snake’s
tongue is forked,
the two tips
taste different
amounts of chemicals.
Essentially, a
snake “smells in
stereo” and can
even tell which
direction a smell is coming from. It
identifies scents
on its tongue
using pits in the
roof of its mouth
called the Jacobson’s
organ. 29 [19] The amount of
food a snake
eats determines
how many
offspring it will
have. The Arafura file snake eats
the least and
lays just one egg
every decade. 30 [1] While smaller
snakes, such a
tree- or-
ground-dwelling
snakes, use their
tongues to follow the scent trails
of prey (such as
spiders, birds,
and other
snakes). Larger
snakes, such as boas, have heat-
sensing organs
called labial (lip)
pits in their
snouts. 31 [1] Snakes typically
need to eat only
6–30 meals each
year to be
healthy. 32 [16] Snakes like to lie
on roads and
rocky areas
because stones
and rocks absorb
heat from the sun, which warms
them. Basking on
these surfaces
warms a snake
quickly so it can
move. If the temperature
reaches below
50° Fahrenheit, a
snake’s body
does not work
properly. 33 [5] The Mozambique
spitting cobra can
spit venom over
8 feet away. It
can spit from any
position, including lying on the
ground or raised
up. It prefers to
aim for its
victim’s eyes. 34 [16] Snakes cannot
chew, so they
must swallow
their food whole.
They are able to
stretch their mouths very wide
because they
have a very
flexible lower jaw.
Snakes can eat
other animals that are 75%–
100% bigger than
their own bodies. 35 [1] To keep from
choking on large
prey, a snake will
push the end of
its trachea, or
windpipe, out of its mouth, similar
to the way a
snorkel works. 36 [14] The Gaboon viper
has the longest
fangs of any
snake, reaching
about 2 inches (5
cm) long. 37 [16] Anacondas can
hold their breath
for up to 10
minutes under
water.
Additionally, similar to
crocodiles,
anacondas have
eyes and nostrils
that can poke
above the water’s surface
to increase their
stealth and
hunting prowess. 38 [2] The longest
snake ever
recorded is the
reticulated
python. It can
reach over 33 feet long, which
is big enough to
swallow a pig, a
deer, or even a
person. 39 [1] Sea snakes with
their paddle-
shaped tails can
dive over 300
feet into the
ocean. 40 [18] If a snake is
threatened soon
after a meal, it
will often
regurgitate its
food so it can quickly escape
the perceived
threat. A
snake’s digestive
system can
dissolve everything but a
prey’s hair,
feathers, and
claws. 41 [1] Snakes do not
have eyelids;
rather, a single
transparent scale
called a brille
protects their eyes. Most
snakes see very
well, especially if
the object is
moving. 42 [2] The world’s
longest venomous
snake is the king
cobra from Asia.
It can grow up to
18 feet, rear almost as high as
a person, growl
loudly, and inject
enough venom to
kill an elephant. 43 [16] The king cobra is
thought to be
one of the most
intelligent of all
snakes.
Additionally, unlike most snakes, who
do not care for
their young, king
cobras are
careful parents
who defend and protect their
eggs from
enemies. 44 [16] Not all snakes
have fangs—only
those that kill
their prey with
venom have
them. When their fangs are not in
use, they fold
them back into
the roof of the
mouth (except
for the coral snake, whose
fangs do not fold
back). 45 [5] Some venomous
snakes have died
after biting and
poisoning
themselves by
mistake. 46 [16] Elephant trunk
snakes are
almost completely
aquatic. They
cannot slither
because they lack the broad scales
in the belly that
help other snakes
move on land.
Rather, elephant
trunk snakes have large
knobby scales to
hold onto slippery
fish and constrict
them underwater. 47 [1] The shortest
known snake is
the thread snake.
It is about 4
inches long and
lives on the island of Barbados in
the Caribbean. It
is said to be as
“thin as
spaghetti” and it
feeds primarily on termites and
larvae. 48 [1] In 2009, a farm
worker in East
Africa survived an
epic 3-hour
battle with a 12-
foot python after accidentally
stepping on the
large snake. It
coiled around the
man and carried
him into a tree. The man wrapped
his shirt over the
snake’s mouth
to prevent it
from swallowing
him, and he was finally rescued by
police after calling
for help on his
cell phone. 49 [16] The venom from
a Brazilian pit
viper is used in a
drug to treat
high blood
pressure. 50 [16] The word
“cobra” means
“hooded.” Some
cobras have large
spots on the
back of their hood that look
like eyes to make
them appear
intimating even
from behind. 51 [16] Some desert
snakes, such as
the African rock
python, sleep
during the
hottest parts of the desert
summer. This
summer sleep is
similar to
hibernation and is
called “aestivation.” 52 [2] The black mamba
is the world’s
fastest snake
and the world’s
second-longest
venomous snake in the world,
after the king
cobra. Found in
East Africa, it can
reach speeds of
up to 12 mph (19kph). It’s
named not from
the color of its
scales, which is
olive green, but
from the inside of its mouth, which
is inky black. Its
venom is highly
toxic, and
without anti-
venom, death in humans usually
occurs within 7–
15 hours. 53 [16] Although a
snake’s growth
rate slows as it
gets older, a
snake never
stops growing. 54 [1] While a snake
cannot hear the
music of a snake
charmer, the
snake responds
to the vibrations of the charmer’s
tapping foot or
to the movement
of the flute. 55 [13] Most snakes are
not harmful to
humans and they
help balance the
ecosystem by
keeping the population of
rats, mice, and
birds under
control. 56 [18] The largest snake
fossil ever found
is the Titanoboa.
It lived over 60
million years ago
and reached over 50 feet (15
meters) long. It
weighed more
than 20 people
and ate
crocodiles and giant tortoises. 57 [5] Two-headed
snakes are similar
to conjoined
twins: an embryo
begins to split to
create identical twins, but the
process does not
finish. Such
snakes rarely
survive in the
wild because the two heads have
duplicate senses,
they fight over
food, and one
head may try to
eat the other head. 58 [19] Snakes can be
grouped into two
sections: primitive
snakes and true
(typical) snakes.
Primitive snakes— such as blind
snakes, worm
snakes, and
thread snakes—
represent the
earliest forms of snakes. True
snakes, such as
rat snakes and
king snakes, are
more evolved and
more active. 59 [1] The oldest
written record
that describes
snakes is in the
Brooklyn Papyrus,
which is a medical papyrus dating
from ancient
Egypt (450 B.C.). 60 [1] Approximately
70% of snakes
lay eggs. Those
that lay eggs are
called oviparous.
The other 30% of snakes live in
colder climates
and give birth to
live young
because it is too
cold for eggs outside the body
to develop and
hatch. 61 [2] Most snakes have
an elongated
right lung, many
have a smaller
left lung, and a
few even have a third lung. They
do not have a
sense of taste,
and most of their
organs are
organized linearly. 62 [18] The most rare
and endangered
snake is the St.
Lucia racer. There
are only 18 to
100 of these snakes left. 63 [18] Snakes kill over
40,000 people a
year—though,
with unreported
incidents, the
total may be over 100,000.
About half of
these deaths are
in India. 64 [16] In some cultures,
eating snakes is
considered a
delicacy. For
example, snake
soup has been a popular
Cantonese
delicacy for over
2,000 years. 65 [6] In some Asian
countries, it is
believed that
drinking the blood
of snakes,
particularly the cobra, will
increase sexual
virility. The blood
is usually drained
from a live snake
and then mixed with liquor. 66 [4] In the United
States, fewer
than 1 in 37,500
people are bitten
by venomous
snakes each year (7,000–8,000
bites per year),
and only 1 in 50
million people will
die from snake
bite (5–6 fatalities per
year). In the U.S.,
a person is 9
times more likely
to die from being
struck by lightening than to
die from a
venomous
snakebite. 67 [18] Some members of
the U.S. Army
Special Forces are
taught to kill and
eat snakes during
their survival training, which
has earned them
the nickname
“Snake
Eaters.” 68 [4] One of the great
feats of the
legendary Greek
hero Perseus was
to kill Medusa, a
female monster whose hair
consisted of
writhing,
venomous snakes. 69 [1] The symbol of
the snake is one
of the most
widespread and
oldest cultural
symbols in history. Snakes
often represent
the duality of
good and evil and
of life and death. 70 [19] Because snakes
shed their skin,
they are often
symbols of
rebirth,
transformation, and healing. For
example,
Asclepius, the god
of medicine,
carries a staff
encircled by a snake. 71 [19] The snake has
held various
meanings
throughout
history. For
example, The Egyptians viewed
the snake as
representing
royalty and deity.
In the Jewish
rabbinical tradition and in
Hinduism, it
represents sexual
passion and
desire. And the
Romans interpreted the
snake as a
symbol of eternal
love. 72 [1] Anacondas mate
in a huge
“breeding ball.”
The ball consists
of 1 female and
nearly 12 males. They stay in a
“mating ball” for
up to a month. 73 [17] Depending on the
species, snakes
can live from 4
to over 25 years. 74 [2] Snakes that are
poisonous have
pupils that are
shaped like a
diamond.
Nonpoisonous snakes have
round pupils. 75 [16] Endangered
snakes include
the San Francisco
garter snake,
eastern indigo
snake, the king cobra, and
Dumeril’s boa. 76 [16] A mysterious,
new “mad snake
disease” causes
captive pythons
and boas to tie
themselves in knots. Other
symptoms include
“stargazing,”
which is when
snakes stare
upwards for long periods of time.
Snake experts
believe a rodent
virus causes the
fatal disease. 77 [10] 1 Like
|
Re: 77 Interesting Facts About Snakes by Nobody: 6:30pm On Jun 03, 2017 |
cc:lalasticlala |
Re: 77 Interesting Facts About Snakes by mirrakk(m): 6:38pm On Jun 03, 2017 |
lala's food |
Re: 77 Interesting Facts About Snakes by kennyunlimited(m): 6:38pm On Jun 03, 2017 |
Kk |
Re: 77 Interesting Facts About Snakes by dahunsy(f): 6:41pm On Jun 03, 2017 |
Coughs**clears throat# if this make front page ....believe me Lalasticala is related to a specie of snake in my village called lLalaaaasm |
Re: 77 Interesting Facts About Snakes by Nobody: 8:34pm On Jun 03, 2017 |
wikipedia are you kidding me? |
(1) (Reply)
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