Animals

Snake

Snakes are elongated, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes. Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes’ paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. Lizards have evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs about twenty-five times independently via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. Legless lizards resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal (see Amphisbaenia, Dibamidae, and Pygopodidae),More info:wiki

Below are photos and Images you may like

#10     3 New Snakes Found, One Named for Underworld Monster,More info:nationalgeographic

 

#9       Tiny DNA tweaks made snakes legless,More info:sciencemag

Sometimes, a genetic tweak can make a really big difference in an animal’s appearance. That’s what likely happened when the predecessors of modern snakes lost their legs, a process that started some 150 million years ago, two separate groups of scientists have discovered. Although the teams took very different approaches to solve the mystery of how those limbs vanished, both came up with similar results: Mutations in DNA located near a gene key to limb formation keep that gene from ever turning on, they report today.

The new studies have impressed other scientists in the field. In both cases, “there is a correlation between the molecular findings on the one hand and the evolutionary trend of limb reduction and loss on the other,” says Michael Richardson, a developmental biologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The findings show “there can be pretty minor changes in the genome that can account for very big specific changes,” adds James Hanken, an evolutionary developmental biologist at Harvard University.

#8   15 surprising facts about Canada’s snakes,More info:cottagelife

 

#7     File:Coast Garter Snake.jpg,More info:wikipedia

 

#6     Eastern Indigo Snake,More info:nature

Meet the Eastern Indigo Snake

The eastern indigo snake is an icon of the southern longleaf pine forest and is the longest native snake on the continent. A non-venomous apex predator, it preys upon many species of animals including some venomous snakes, and it plays a critical role in keeping an ecosystem healthy and balanced.

#5      A Top 10 List of Africa’s Most Dangerous Snakes,More info:tripsavvy

Africa is home to many different snake species, some of which are amongst the world’s most dangerous. These range from legendary species like the black mamba to little-known snakes like the West African carpet viper.

It is important to remember that although all snakes must be treated with respect, the majority are not venomous. Snakes will typically try to avoid contact with humans rather than risk confrontation, and anti-venom is available for all of the species listed below. Don’t let a fear of snakes stop you from exploring Africa’s breathtaking wilderness. With a little care, there’s nothing to prevent humans and snakes from co-existing in harmony. All snake species are important to the balance of the African ecosystem, fulfilling a valuable role as middle-order predators.

#4   8 myths about snakes… and some common misconceptions,More info:museumsvictoria

There are many species of snake in Victoria and it is therefore natural that the Museum receives a lot of enquiries about dealing with pesky snakes.

In amongst these general enquiries are questions or statements that drift into the realm of myths, of which there are many. We’ve compiled the most common myths and misconceptions about snakes, along with some tips on keeping snakes away.

#3     ‘Assume they will kill you’: Catcher urges Australians to leave snakes alone,More info:9news

A spate of snake bites and sightings have signalled the start of snake season, and sparked warnings from experts.
October and November is peak season as the weather warms up and the reptiles wake up – and begin searching for food and mates.
It is a common misconception that snakes are more active in summer, said Melbourne-based snake catcher Raymond Hoser.

#2     16th July, 2019 will be…World Snake Day,More info:daysoftheyear

Snakes have gotten something of a bad rap over the past few thousand years. What with that one snake tricking that nice lady into eating an apple way back when, thus condemning the entire human race to mortality, snakes have been mistrusted if not flat-out feared.

And while it is understandable that people may fear an animal that can easily kill them, we think these fascinating, diverse creatures that range from several inches to 30 feet long, and from friendly and docile to aggressive and deadly, deserve for people to find out more about them.

#1     10 Most Beautiful Snakes In The World,More info: ZoneA

 

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