Spinning Tales About Snakes

Apparently, snakes evolved from lizards.  Cold blooded, these reptiles are more evident in warm climates.  Many reproduce by laying eggs (soft and leathery).  However, in colder climates, where incubation may be compromised, live births occur.

Allegedly, humans fear snakes because they are conditioned through evolution to fear threats.  Actually, snakes avoid confrontation, but they injure when disturbed.  Though more species are nonvenomous, they still bite.  Venomous snakes use fangs to inject venom (saliva), often striking below the knee.  Fortunately, defensive dry bites (no venom released) are common, since snakes intend to subdue prey and not humans.

In this country, annual estimates reveal 7,000-8,000 venomous snake bites on humans, resulting in as few as 5 fatalities because exceptional treatment is available.  Comparatively, car-deer accidents cause around 200 fatalities—habitat fragmentation forces deer into traffic.

Florida has about 44 snake species, and 6 are venomous:  copperhead, cottonmouth, coral, and three rattlesnakes—diamondback, canebrake, and pygmy.  In addition, beware of released or escaped pythons (constrictors) invading the Everglades.  

Pygmy Rattler visits back porch - photo Brett Pigon

Rattlesnakes cause more deaths.  They warn with a hiss, coil, or rattle.  However, if stepped on, they strike immediately.  Coral snakes are sometimes handled when mistaken for colorful nonvenomous mimics; displayed is red, yellow, and black banding, but red on yellow will kill a fellow.  Furthermore, coral snakes have round pupils and not elliptical (slit) pupils like most venomous snakes. 

Venomous coral snake - yellow on black - photo Brett Pigon

Prey for snakes includes rodents (especially around farms), insects, and other snakes.  Milk snakes seek rodents and not cows.  Pythons may consume deer.

Milk snake, coral imitator - black on yellow - photo Brett Pigon

Snakes prey efficiently:  legless bodies quietly slither (boas and pythons, primitive reptiles, display claw-like remnants of hind limbs); because snakes have no outer ears, jawbones transmit vibration to inner ears; forked tongues flick to pick up scent; a pit viper senses the heat of prey with a pit between the eyes and nostrils.

  

To subdue, these carnivores grip by their teeth, inject venom, or squeeze.  They do not chew food.  Prey, often larger than predators, is swallowed whole, usually headfirst, and alive or dead.  Expandable jaws

allow mouths to open wide to swallow.  Throats, stomachs, and intestines also stretch.

Periodically, snakes shed their skins which have silky, not slimy, scales.  Transparent scales which protect eyes are also shed.  (Eyes are seemingly hypnotic without eyelids.)  Molting involves rubbing heads against hard or rough objects until peeling occurs.  Eventually, snakes crawl out of old skins which turn inside out in the process.

Undeniably, these creatures are beneficial.  They control pests, and their venom helps blood-clotting disorders and may help stop cancer.  So, prudently walk away from snakes.  Or live in Antarctica where there are none!