Snakes And Their Different Varieties In The Wild

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Snakes are one of the most interesting reptiles which have caught the attention of the humans since ages. There are many stories about snakes in different religions, epics and mythologies more so in Hinduism. Many of us think that they have ears but it is not true as the external ears are not well developed. There are others who try to feed milk to snakes but even that is not right as snakes do not drink milk. A few others who try to keep snakes as exotic pets but it is always better they stay in their natural habitat and environment. One can find snakes in water, in hills, trees, fields, forest areas, bushy areas, shrubs, water bodies, lakes, seas and in oceans too, many a times even at place where human beings stay that is our home too.

They also tend to know somebody is approaching them through vibrations on the ground. They are shy creatures and prefer to stay away from humans. They generally prey on  rodents, eggs of birds on trees, birds, mice, other snakes etc. They become prey generally to eagles, vultures, peacocks, bigger varieties of snakes, sea creatures, humans as many societies eat them and mongoose to name a few. They have adapted themselves very well to different terrains and habitats be it land, water, marshy areas or rocks and mountains and even in deserts too. Thus one can say they are adaptive to different climates, regions, forest areas, temperatures and other such features.

Let us now discuss a few more details about these slithery reptiles in brief. There are more than three thousand different species of snakes which have and are inhabiting the earth. They are found on every continent of the world. But they seem to be few sightings of them in Antarctica. Snakes are carnivores they do not have any eyelids. Their internal ears are developed but not the external ones. They cannot bite and chew food and so have to swallow them as a whole slowly taking part by part.  Their jaws are such that they can eat bigger prey than their head. Their anatomy is also unique in that it allows them to swallow and digest large prey easily.

In many countries   they were being used for snake charming performances as they respond to movement and not actually sound as originally thought. They have a good cover of scales which cover them. Their skin is usually smooth and dry and colors and design patterns vary depending on the kind of snake. Their skin shedding process lasts generally for a few days depending on the species of snake and this shedding happens a number of times in a year. Some of the species of snakes one can name are Cobras, King Cobra which eats other snakes especially the smaller varieties and this keeps a check on the population of snakes, Vipers, Black Mamba etc. Some  of the snakes are venomous while the others are non venomous.

The non venomous varieties are water snakes, rat snake etc. They are good at pest control in a natural way. While the venomous varieties Cobra, Black Mamba etc. use their venom  to kill the prey while hunting them and the amount of venom injected is usually proportionate to the prey involved. Snakes generally keep sticking their tongues out which are forked every few seconds or minutes this is done to smell the prey. Snakes like Pythons kill their prey by wrapping around it in a tight fashion thus suffocating the prey. This particular process is called constriction. There are different varieties of pythons like the Indian Python, Burmese Rock Python which is on the endangered list etc. Sea snakes can breathe partially through their skin as in the case of fish but they do not have specially developed parts like the gills in the case of the fish. This helps the snakes to dive and stay a longer time underwater.

There are some nonvenomous snakes such as the scarlet king snake who have different patterns of color on the skin. Snakes are very good swimmers too. The Anacondas are very large, non venomous snakes found in the continent of Latin America. They can reach over five meters or sixteen feet in length. Python reticulates and can grow over more than eight meters or around twenty eight feet. They are considered to be one of the longest snakes in the world. Anacondas also a similar method to hunt.

Eastern coral snakes are the relatives of the Cobra, Mamba and the Sea snake. They generally like to live in the wooded, sandy and the marshy areas of southeastern United States of America. They spend most of their lives burrowed underground or in leaf piles. Their food consists of frogs, smaller snakes, lizards and other varieties of coral snakes etc. Baby snakes emerge from their eggs and at that time they are generally around seven inches or around eighteen centimeters. They are long and are fully venomous once they are born.

The adults reach around two feet or around less than a meter in length. The average lifespan in the wild is not clearly known as it varies depending on the area and the availability of prey and other conditions. But generally they can live up to around seven years in captivity. When snakes want to lay eggs they usually search a area where not much of movement is there. They generally try to pile up leaves which have dried and twigs to see that they reach a good height and are also efficient in keeping the eggs warm at a particular temperature.

Once the eggs are laid the mother has the onerous task of guarding the eggs from other wild animals, birds and other snakes too. Once the eggs hatch after the expected number of days depending on the species of the snake. The baby snakes come out of the eggs and if they are venomous they are venomous and they will bite too. Many of the snakes die in the process of growing up as a result of other predators like birds etc. If you find a snake near your house make sure no one hurts them and call the wildlife department, or the forest department, or you can also call the local municipality.

There are many friends of snakes societies also there who will come and help you if you just give them a call. They will catch the snake safely and leave it in the wild. Make sure that others stay at a safe distance from the snake. As the snake will be afraid of humans too. Protect snakes and help them lead a good life in the wild as they belong to the wild.