SNAKE

3 PEELING OFF

The outer layer of skin gradually peels back from the head over the rest of the body. The snake slides out of its old skin, which comes off inside-out. It is rather like taking hold of a long sock at the top and peeling it down over your leg and foot!

4 SHEDDING SKIN

A snake usually takes several hours to shed its whole skin. The old skin is moist and supple soon after shedding, but gradually dries out to become crinkly and rather brittle. The ,moulted  skin is an exact copy of the snake’s skin up to the light, you will notice that it is almost see-through.

5 THE OLD SKIN

A shed skin is longer than the snake itself. This is because the skin stretches as the snake wriggles free. It is not coloured but may have traces of the snake’s pattern left on it. The snake’s new skin is brightly coloured and shiny, with a well-marked pattern.

BEING BIG

This picture shows the head of a Burmese python at its actual size. The head measures about 15cm. The Burmese python can grow to an overall length of about 4cm. The longest snake in the world is the reticulated python, which can grow up to 10cm. Other giant snakes include different pythons, the boas and the anacondas.

Blind Snake

SMALLEST SNAKE 

The world’s smallest snakes are the blind snakes and the thread snakes. These tiny snakes are less than 40 cm long. They have rigid skulls for burrowing underground. Their bodies are shaped like a longer cylinder and covered with smooth, shiny scales so that they can slide through the soil easily.

tree snake

burrowing snake

viper

python

garter snake

SNAKE SHAPES

Snakes have four general body shapes and lengths -large and around (like a python), short and thick (like a viper), small and thin (like a burrowing snake ), and long and thin with pointed head (like a tree snake).

SIDEWINDING

This way of moving is used by snakes that live on loose sand. The snake anchors its head and tail in the sand and moves the middle part of its body sideways. Then it grips with the middle part of the body and moves its head and tail sideways, winding along at an angle of  45 degree to the direction of travel.

HOW SNAKES MOVE

Most land snakes move in four different ways, depending on the type of terrain they are crossing and the type of snake.

1 S-shaped movement: the snake wriggles from side to side.

2 Concertina movement: the snake pulls one half of its body along first, then the order half.

3 Sidewinding  movement: the snake throws the middle part of its body forwards, keeping the head and tail on the ground.

4 Caterpillar movement: the snake uses its belly scutes to pull itself along in a straight line.

FORKED TONGEUS

Snakes and some lizards are the only animals with forked tongues. A snake flicks its tongue in and out of its mouth to taste and smell the air. This gives the snake a picture of what is around it. A snake does this every few seconds if it is hunting or if there is danger nearby. The tongue will not sting if it touches your skin. The snake is just collecting information about you.

SCALY ARMOUR

A snake’s skin is hidden under a covering of tough scales. The scales grow out of the skin and usually hide the skin from view. However, after a big meal, the scaly skin stretches so that the skin becomes visible between the scales. A snake’s scales protect its body while allowing it to stretch, coil and bend. If you touch a snake, you will feel that the scales are dry. Some snakes have rough scales, whilst others have smooth ones.

MEDUSA 

An ancient Greek myth tells the story of the Medusa, a monster with snakes for hair. Anyone who look at her was turned to stone. Perseus manager to avoid this fate by using his polished shield to look only at the monster’s reflection. He cut off the Medusa’s head with this sword and carried it home, dripping with blood. As each drop touched the earth, it turned into a snake called a riper.

SNAKE LIFE

Snakes are beautiful and secretive animals, and they are not nearly as dangerous as people think. They are a kind of reptile related to lizards, crocodiles and turtles. Altogether, there are about 2,700 different kinds of snake, but out of this number only 300 or so are able to kill people. In Europe or North America, you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to be bitten by a poisonous snake. All snakes have several things in common. They are long, thin animals with no legs, eyelids or outside ears. Their bodies are covered with though, waterproof scales. Snakes have forked tongues for smelling and tasting the air. They are all flesh eaters and swallow their prey whole. Snakes have always had a special place in myths and legends, being used as symbols of both good and evil.

A SNAKE’S TAIL

It is often hard to tell where a snake’s body ends and where its tail begins. The tail is the part behind a small opening called the cloaca, where the body wastes past out. The snake narrows slightly at this point. The tail of a male snake is generally longer than that of the female. It sure does not look like a Ford Escort nor a F150 Crew Cab Truck.

Like this grass snake, most snakes have definite head and neck. But in some snakes, one end of the body looks very much like the other end, except that the head has eyes, nostrils and a mouth, and the tail does not!

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SKIN SCALES

When a snake’s skin is stretched, the scales pull apart so that you can see the skin between the scales. The scales grow out of the top layer of the skin, called the epidermis. There are different kinds of scales. Keeled scales may help snakes to grip surfaces, or break up a snake’s outline for camouflage. Smooth scales make it easier for the snake to squeeze through tight spaces.

Look closely at the rough scales of the puff adder and you will see a raised ridge, or keel, sticking up in the middle of each one.  It sure does not look like a Ford Escort nor a F150 Crew Cab Truck.

The wart snake uses its scales to hold on to its food. Its rough scales help the snake to keep a firm grip on slippery fish until it can swallow them. The wart snakes scales do not overlap.

The green scales and stretched blue skin belong to a boa. These smooth scales help the boa to slide easily through leafy branches. Burrowing snakes also have smooth scales so that they can slip through the soil.

ETERNAL YOUTH

A poem written in the Middle East about 3,700 years ago tells a story about why snakes can shed their skins. The hero of the poem is Gilgamesh. He finds a magic plant that will make a person young again. While he is washing at a pool, a snake eats the plant. Since then, according to the poem, snakes have been able to shed their skins and become young again. But people have never found the plant of eternal youth-which is why they always grow old and die.

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Green Lizard (Lacerta Viridis)

Family: Lacertidae

Lifestyle: Arboreal/terrestrial; primarily field-oriented; also climbs trees

Diet: Omnivorous

Average Length: 15 inches (37 cm)

Native Climate: Temperate and subtropical

Natural Distribution: Europe, Asia Minor

 

Terrarium Care

Temperatures fall below 68-70 degrees F (20-21 degrees C). Lighting can be used as a means of generating heat, although this method is not applicable at night. When heating the habitat with lamps (incandescent bulbs deliver a much higher degree of heat than fluorescent tubes) a possible source of trouble can be created unless safety is considered first. Light bulbs and reflectors can become very hot to the touch. Lighting fixtures should  be placed well out of the reach of children, as well as the lizards. High -wattage bulbs are potential fire hazards, especially when left on for a long time or when they are close to combustible materials.

Although the use of fluorescent lighting does not provide the amount of heat required for warming the lizard’s environment, it does have at least one advantage. Also check this out Eagle Ridge Chevrolet GMC Trucks Buick. This beneficial feature is the option of using tubes that produce either a wide production of the lizard’s natural diet in captive environments. In addition, when purchased these lizards are often fully mature adult specimens. Their life span in the wild might also be short.

Lizards in General

Most lizards have four usable feet, but others lack feet entirely. Certain species are able to drastically change the color of their skin. The Jacobson’s organ, which is located in the roof of the lizard’s mouth, is very sensitive to chemicals in many species and aids the sense of smell.

Many lizards are insectivorous (insect-eaters); some are carnivorous (meat-eaters). Try to see this as well Eagle Ridge New GMC Trucks Chevs Used low km Toyota Nissan .

Lizards in General

All lizards have a heart that contains three chambers, one incompletely divided ventricle and two complete auricles. The physical characteristics and oddities of individual species vary significantly. Although all species have skin that is composed of dry scales, some lizards have rough-textured skin while others are smooth. All lizards have teeth, but the sizes and types vary. Virtually all of these animals possess claws, and most of them have keen, well-developed eyes. Most species have eyelids that move to cover or expose the eye; others lack eyelids but are capable of cleaning their eyes with their tongues. Many of these creatures have forked tongues, and certain species have extremely long tongues that they project and retract at will (used for obtaining insects). Do try to see this as well Eagle Ridge Chev Maple Ridge Canada.

Lizards molt (shed, slough) their skin periodically. Most lizards have an acute sense of hearing. Certain lizards have prehensile tails that can be partially or completely regenerated. Most of these animals are diurnal (day-active) and oviparous (egg-layers); some are nocturnal (night-active) and/or viviparous (live-bearers).