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| COLUBRID SNAKES | |||
| More than half of all snake species are colubrid snakes. They live on all continents except Antarctica. Colubrids are found in almost all habitats and are usually the most common snakes in areas where snakes occur. Some live mostly in fresh water and eat fish. Others spend much of their lives in trees and hunt small mammals or birds. Many live in grass or leaf litter on the ground and eat frogs, small reptiles, or large insects and spiders. Most colubrids produce venom, but they are often thought of as harmless snakes. Venom trickles down grooves on large fangs at the back of the mouth, so that only about half of it enters a wound during a bite. Their venom is not injected, as it is in snakes that are considered more dangerous. However, some colubrids have been known to kill humans with their venom. | |||
| COBRAS | |||
| Cobras belong to the elapid family, a venomous group that also includes kraits, seat snakes, mambas, coral snakes, and death adders. Elapids have hollow fangs located at the front of the mouth. They are fixed to the upper jawbone like normal teeth. They need to be small enough for the snake to close its mouth over them. Elapid venom acts on prey's nerves to stop the heart beating and damage the lungs. These snakes are found in Australia, Africa, South and Central America, and southeast North America. Many species live in burrows or leaf litter. Mambas and tree cobras live in trees. Sea snakes are found mainly in tropical parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They have flattened bodies that are so well adapted to life in the water that it is almost impossible for them to move on land. | |||
| PYTHONS AND BOAS | |||
| Pythons and boas belong to the boid family. It has many small species but also includes the largest snakes. The longest snakes on record are Asia's reticulated python and South America's anaconda, which spends much of its time in the Amazon River. Individuals from both species can grow longer than 30 feet (9 m). Pythons are found mostly in Asia, Africa, and Australia. All species lay eggs. Unlike most reptiles, they protect their eggs. Females make nests and then coil around their developing broods. After hatching, the young snakes are left to look after themselves. Pythons and boas are not venomous. They kill by coiling their bodies around their prey, then constricting, or spqueezing, until it suffocates. Boas occur mainly throughout the Americas. They do not lay eggs but give birth to live young. | |||
| ADDERS AND VIPERS | |||
| The viper family includes rattlesnakes and adders. All have large, hollow fangs located at the front of the mouth that swing forward to inject potent venom when they bite. The fangs are tucked away at other times. Vipers and adders occur throughout the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Instead of stalking prey, they ambush it. Their bodies are often patterned in shades of brown and green that blend in with their surroundings. This allows them to remain unseen as they lie coiled up beside a trail used by small mammals, or in the branches of a fruit tree where birds gather. They wait for prey to come whithin range before they strike with lightning speed. Some lure prey into range by wriggling their tails to look like a worm. | |||
| References: | |||
| National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals | |||
| by: Karen McGhee & George McKay PH.D | |||
| 2007 | |||
Revision as of 21:15, 31 January 2009
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