Unfortunately, many people still misunderstand snakes. As a result, we've compiled a list of seven reasons why we believe snakes are amazing creatures worthy of our protection.
1. They have a large family.
According to the most recent count, there are 3,789 snake species, making them the second most numerous reptile group after lizards. They are classified into 30 families and numerous subfamilies. There are approximately 140 of them in Australia.
2. They are "solar-powered," meaning they are entirely dependent on external heat or light sources.
Reptiles are sometimes labeled as "cold-blooded," but this is incorrect because their blood is not cold. The correct term is ectothermic, which means their body temperature is variable and controlled by external factors. Reptiles, unlike mammals and birds, cannot regulate their body temperature internally and must rely on heat sources such as the sun to warm up.
3. Not every snake lays eggs.
Reptiles differ from mammals in that they lay eggs, as you may have learned in school. While we enjoy classifying and categorizing everything around us, nature follows its own set of rules.
Others do not lay eggs, despite the fact that approximately 70% of snakes do. Because the eggs would not survive outside, snakes in colder climates have live births.
4. Snakes lack eyelids.
Have you ever wondered why snakes can make you feel uneasy? They don't even have eyelids! As a result, they are unable to blink and must sleep with their eyes wide open. To protect their eyes, they have a thin membrane attached to each of them instead of eyelids. The membrane is known as a brille, which translates to glasses in German.
5. They use their tongues to smell.
Although snakes have nostrils, they do not use them to smell. Instead, they have evolved to smell with their tongues and the Jacobson's organ in the roof of their mouths. Their odor is quite pleasant and has been described as "smelling in stereo." They have a forked tongue and multiple receptors that can detect varying amounts of chemical cues.
6. Their table manners differ from ours.
Because snakes can't chew, they have no choice but to swallow their food whole. Snakes, on the other hand, have very flexible lower jaws that allow them to eat animals that are 75-100 percent larger than their own head. Once ingested, the chemicals in their digestive tract will do all of the work and break down the food.
7. Snakes can move in five different ways.
Consider a snake slithering through the grass. What do you envision? What about the well-known s-movement? This is not surprising given that lateral undulation is the most common form of locomotion in snakes. Snakes, on the other hand, can move in four different ways. Arboreal snakes, for example, use concertina locomotion, which requires seven times more energy. When a snake tries to escape on a smooth surface, it uses special locomotion called slide pushing.
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