let's learn about snakes
scaly and slithery
long and legless
snakes are easy to recognize
their fierce stare may seem threatening
but don't take it personally
snakes can't blink because they don't
have eyelids
snakes are reptiles which means that
they breathe air
have scaly skin
and are cold-blooded
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cold-blooded animals cannot maintain
their own body temperature
when it gets colder outside they get
colder
when it gets warmer outside
they get warmer
that's why reptiles cannot live in
extremely cold climates
snakes can be found on every continent
except for antarctica which is too cold
for them to survive
snakes can be very large
or very small
many snakes live on land
but some live in the water
no matter what their size or coloring
all snakes are carnivores eating
anything from insects to birds
fish
rodents wild pigs or even jaguars
snakes are also vertebrates which means
that they have a backbone
actually snakes are almost all backbone
a snake skeleton is mostly made up of
its skull the vertebrae or bones of the
spine
and ribs
many snakes have special skulls
the bones of their skulls can move apart
so that snakes can swallow food bigger
than their head
snakes cannot chew or tear their food
which is why they must swallow it whole
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snakes have special senses that help
them find their prey
some snakes have poor eyesight
others have sharp vision
some types of snakes have infrared
receptors that allow them to sense the
body heat of animals
many snakes can feel vibrations in the
ground through their scales which help
them follow animals by their movement
one of a snake's most valuable senses
however is their sense of smell
and for that they do not rely on their
nose
although snakes do have ordinary
nostrils with which to smell
more sensitive investigations require
their tongue
the tongue of a snake is forked or split
at the tips and you will often see
snakes flicking their tongue in and out
again this snake is not being rude it is
actually tasting the air collecting
microscopic particles which it can
analyze using a special organ in the
roof of its mouth
these particles will tell the snake what
kind of plants and animals are around
them and even what direction they are in
once they find an animal to eat some
snakes will just swallow it alive
most snakes however will use one of two
strategies to kill their prey beforehand
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first some snakes will use venom
which they deliver with a bite from
their fangs
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not all snakes have venom those that do
not will often wrap their body tightly
around their prey and squeeze it to
death
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some people are frightened of snakes
particularly of venomous ones
but out of more than three thousand
snake species in the world fewer than
ten percent are venomous
and only about half of those are even
capable of a bite that could kill a
human
most snakes just want to be left alone
and will try to escape instead of
attacking if you give them the chance
i hope you enjoyed learning about snakes
today
goodbye till next time
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you