Snakes are cold blooded
legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order
Squamata. There are also several species of legless lizard which
superficially resemble snakes, but are not otherwise related to
them. A love of snakes is called ophiophilia. An old synonym for
snake is serpent; in modern usage this usually refers to a mythic
or symbolic snake, and information about such creatures will be
found under serpent. This article deals with the biology of snakes.
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All snakes are
carnivorous, eating small animals (including lizards and other
snakes), birds, eggs or insects. Some snakes have a venomous bite
which they use to kill their prey before eating it. Other snakes
kill their prey by constriction resulting in death by strangulation.
Snakes do not chew their food. Snakes have a very flexible lower
jaw, the two halves of which are not rigidly attached, and numerous
other joints in their skull (see snake skull), allowing them to
open their mouths wide enough to swallow their prey whole, even
if it is larger in diameter than the snake itself. Contrary to
the popular myth, at no point do they "unhinge" their
jaws (disarticulate their mandibular joints). After eating, snakes
become torpid while the process of digestion takes place. Digestion
is an intensive activity, especially after the consumption of
very large prey, and so much metabolic energy is involved that
Crotalus durissus, the Mexican rattlesnake, may actually raise
its body temperature as much as 6 degrees above the surrounding
environment. Because of this, a snake disturbed after having eaten
recently will often regurgitate the prey in order to be able to
escape the perceived threat. However, when undisturbed, the digestive
process is highly efficient, dissolving and absorbing everything
but hair and claws, which are excreted along with uric acid waste.
Above Images Are From The US Fish & Wildlife Service
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