When many people think of snakes, the first thing that comes to mind is
Lucifer in the form of a serpent tempting Eve with an apple from the Tree of
Knowledge and, therefore, original sin. While this may be part of why people
associate snakes with fear and loathing, it’s more likely that snakes got their
evil reputation from their appearance first. Snakes strike fear into the primal
parts of the human brain. No wonder the human brain is ingrained to fear snakes, many species of snakes are venomous and
can easily kill a person.
Snakes have been around since the mid-Cretaceous period, smack in the middle
of the time of the dinosaurs. Snakes first appeared as the basic legless
reptiles we know today. They’ve had more than 100 million years to adapt and
differentiate. They kept their legless appearance mostly sliding on
their bellies, and there are now more than
3,200 species of snakes. Some of these species have amazing adaptations. Below, we’ll
discuss our favorite 15.
15) Titanoboa, the World’s Largest Snake
The Titanoboa is the largest snake to ever live. It was about 49 feet long and weighed roughly 2,500
pounds. That’s as much as about 20 humans, and no other snake has ever achieved such
gigantic
dimensions. The closest known for sure, Gigantophis, measured in at 23 feet and a paltry
403 pounds. The first known titanoboa fossils were discovered in Colombia in
2009 by a Smithsonian research team. It’s believed they hunted crocodiles and
turtles that weighed 300 pounds or more. This sounds like a lot until you remember
just how huge Titanaboas was. In all of history there aren't too many species
that could mess with a snake that weighed more
than one ton. Their closest living relatives are boa constrictors even though
anacondas are bigger, but boa constrictors more closely match the body type of their
giant ancestors.
Titanoboa Devouring a Crocodile
Scientists believe the natural predators of Titanaboas probably preyed on
their eggs and young, rather than taking on the gigantic adults. They also think
Titanaboas proves that the upper end of the size scale couldn’t be more than 50 feet
or so because snakes are cold-blooded. Titanaboas lived at a time when the
average temperature was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than today, and in
tropical jungles at that. It’s not feasible for a larger snake to live at a
cooler time. However, some other researchers
dispute the temperature findings because of the snake’s probable body
temperature from metabolic processes. A Titanaboas skull was found in 2012 by
another team of researchers; it may yet yield information on the species.
14) Thelotornis, the Twig Snakes
Thelotornis is a genus of snakes known as twig snakes. The most recently discovered snake species, Thelotornis
usambaricus, was found in January 2013. Coincidentally the species was
discovered just before the start of
the Chinese Year of the Snake. Unlike most snakes, twig snakes have binocular
vision thanks to horizontal pupils shaped like keyholes. What other animal do
you know with keyhole-shaped pupils? For your information, cats also have
keyhole-shaped pupils.
Twig snakes are venomous, and their bites
are potentially fatal to humans. There is currently no known antivenom so a bite
from a twig snake may very well be fatal. Their
venom is a hemotoxic, which means it attacks blood cells and causes red blood
cells to rupture while interfering with clotting. When twig snakes feel
threatened, they puff up their throats and display bold black markings between
their neck scales. They’re known as twig snakes because they’re grey and brown,
and when perfectly still on a tree (their preferred hunting grounds). They’re
also easily mistaken for a twig and often looked over by humans.
13) Leptotyphlops carlae, the World’s Tiniest Snake
Leptotyphlops carlae, or the Barbados threadsnake, is the smallest snake known
to man. The adults
average less than four inches in length, and they can sit coiled on a quarter. It was found in Barbados in 2008 by a
Penn State evolutionary biologist. The first specimens were found in a bit of
forest on the eastern side of Barbados. It's habitat is so small,
scientists believe it’s a rare species. After studying the Barbados threadsnake’s color and genetic qualities, the discovering biologist further
determined that some older museum specimens are also Barbados threadsnakes. It’s
not uncommon for great size variations to occur on islands. In fact, it’s more
common for size extremes to be found in island habitats.
Threadsnake Coiled on a Quarter
This is because of the fact that a species can evolve to fill a certain
ecological niche that’s not filled by an existing larger or smaller animal. Like
many other very small animals, Barbados threadsnakes produce only one offspring
at a time. The mothers lay one egg that is half as long as her
body. It’s possible that the young are so large so that they can survive at all,
and
scientists believe there may be a lower threshold for the sizes of some kinds of
animals. In other words, if the young weren’t so large compared to their
mothers, they might not be able to survive at all.
12) Elapha obsoleta lindheimeri, the Texas Rat Snake
Texas rat snakes, or Elapha obsoleta lindheimeri, are the most common
nonvenomous snake found in North Texas. They can
grow longer than 77 inches, or 2 meters, in length. At nearly 6 1/2 feet, that’s
as tall as a basketball player. Kind of makes it fortunate that they’re nonvenomous, doesn’t it? Texas rat snakes specifically prey on, as their name
suggests, rats and mice. If they’re near your home, you don’t need to worry
about these snakes. You need to worry about the rats
and mice they are hunting, because vermin can carry diseases like the plague and hantavirus.
Albino Texas Rat Snake
They might also go after chicken eggs and chicks. If you have any farm fowl,
then you may want to try and relocate any rat snakes you may encounter on your
property. It wouldn’t make any difference if you moved the
chickens higher off of the ground. Rat snakes can climb even the side of brick buildings,
so a slightly elevated chicken coup would be no problem for a rat snake.
Rat snakes are unusual in that many specimens are not a typical dark grey color.
Colors of rat snakes vary from yellow, tan, albinos (no melanin pigmentation), high orange (hypomelanistic, or low
in melanin), and even leucism (reduced pigmentation). Leucistic Texas rat snakes
have become valued in the pet trade due to their unusual coloring, and they’re often
pinkish perhaps with a little bit of grey.
11) Langaha madagascariensis, the Leaf-nosed Snake
Langaha madagascariensis, also known as Langaha nasuta or the leaf-nosed snake,
is native to Madagascar. The leaf-nosed snake appears to have a horn or leaf jutting from its
snout. This is found in both genders, but unlike most snake species there
is a high level of sexual dimorphism.
Female Madagascar Leaf-nosed Snake
Alextelford at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-3.0],
via Wikimedia Commons
This is seen in the differentiation of their coloring, scales, and horn which
are all very different depending on the sex of the animal. Females have a flat, leaf-shaped, serrated horn and
rough brown scales. Males have smooth yellowish scales and a sharply-pointed
horn. The leaf-nosed snake is venomous, but not as dangerous as most venomous
snakes. Its bite is extremely painful, but bites from a leaf-nosed snake are rarely life-threatening.
10) Oxyuranus microlepidotus, the Inland Taipan
Oxyuranus microlepidotus, or the inland taipan, is native to Australia.
Australia is one country with more wildlife than any other country that
collectively wants to kill you. It
should be no surprise to find that the inland taipan is also known as the
“fierce snake.”
Inland Taipan
It is the most venomous snake in
the world. However, considering how venomous it is, there has remarkably never been a
recorded human fatality. Inland taipan bites have always been successfully
treated with antivenom. The inland taipan also exhibits huge color changes
between summer and winter. In the summer it’s a lighter straw color, while in
the winter it’s
much darker in color. This is an adaptation to the harsh temperatures found in
the Australian outback, and the dark winter coloring also blends in with its
home range’s black soil. The lighter summer coloring blends in with dead
vegetation that is characteristic of Australian outback summers. In winter, its head might turn nearly black and look glossy; this
may or may not help disguise it from its prey, native rats. Inland taipan
populations heavily depend on native rat populations. When the rat population is
high, the population of snakes rises rapidly. Likewise when the rat population
is low, snakes die off and reproduce less because food is more scarce.
9) Melanophidium bilineatum, the Iridescent Shieldtail
Melanophidium bilineatum, or the iridescent shieldtail, is mainly known for its
visually appealing characteristics. While it is also called the two-lined black
earth snake, their iridescence is a thing of beauty. Their black scales shine and
reflect a rainbow of colors that is difficult to capture in photographs. On
either side, the black is separated between its top and bottom halves by wide
yellow stripes. Not a lot is known about these snakes, even though their habitat
is well-traveled by tourists. They’re believed to be nocturnal and live on the
ground.
Iridescent Shieldtail
The tourism industry in their native home of India may actually be reducing the
population of shieldtails. As of 2011, no recent sightings were reported in the
wild. Unfortunately that means that, between shrinking habitats (a subject of
concern to the IUCN) and heavy tourism traffic, the snake may be driven closer
towards
extinction. It doesn’t help that the shieldtails burrow beneath leaf litter
making them difficult to see, and easy to step on. Only three specimens have ever been
studied. It would be a shame to lose these beauties both for the space they
fill in their local ecosystem, and just because their iridescent black scales are
so gorgeous. Very few snakes have such beautiful colors and visually striking
scale patterns.
8) Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis, the Honduran Milk Snake
Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis, or the Honduran milk snake, is in the same
family as the twig snakes that rank No. 8 on our list. Unlike the twig snakes,
the Honduran milk snake is not venomous. It’s a subspecies of the scarlet kingsnake. Its coloring is particularly interesting containing a wide band of red, then a
narrower band of black, a narrower still band of yellow, then black, and then
back to red. This is a case of Batesian mimicry, in which a harmless species
takes on characteristics of a dangerous species.
Albino Honduran Milk Snake
In this case, the milk snake’s coloring closely mimics that of the coral
snake. Coral snakes are highly venomous and possess some of the same
characteristics of milk snakes. The most similar traits are their color (though not necessarily
in the same order) and burrowing habits. Naturally, not many predators — or even
people — would risk a nasty venomous bite. Not only does the coral snake hold
on rather than striking and pulling back, but it has a neurotoxin in its venom
that causes paralysis and can cause a human being to stop breathing. Taking
these factors into consideration, it makes much more sense for predators to
avoid encounters with both milk snakes and coral snakes. This is where Batesian
mimicry gives the milk snake an advantage because predators regard milk and
coral snakes as one in the same.
7) Drymarchon couperi, the Eastern Indigo Snake
The eastern indigo snake, scientifically known as Drymarchon couperi, is also
related to twig snakes and milk snakes. Unlike either, not only is the eastern
indigo snake heavy-bodied for its size, but it’s also the longest snake in the
United States. The longest recorded specimen was a little under 3 meters long,
or more than 9 feet. They get their name from their glossy blue-black color in
sunlight. Eastern indigo snakes
are cold-sensitive. This means they have to find shelter when temperatures drop
below about fifty degrees Fahrenheit, or ten degrees Celsius. Usually they seek
out a
gopher tortoise burrow to take refuge during colder months.
Eastern Indigo Snake
Because it’s sensitive to cold they’re mainly found in Florida, the
Florida Keys, and southern Georgia. The eastern indigo snake is also a vicious
hunter. Rather than constricting or using venom it doesn’t possess, it flushes
its prey out from under cover, then actually chases it down. Once it’s caught
its prey, the snake will crush it to death in its strong jaws. If it can’t do so
easily, it might even bash the prey on the ground or a nearby object repeatedly
to kill it. Fortunately, it’s not big enough to do the same with humans.
Instead, its prey is usually fairly small, such as toads, frogs, small
alligators, birds and turtle eggs. Interestingly, the eastern indigo snake will
also hunt and eat venomous snakes. The eastern indigo snake has an advantage
over other poisonous snakes: it is impervious to their venom.
6) Coluber constrictor foxii , the Blue Racer
The blue racer, or Coluber constrictor foxii, is found across most of the
United States ranging into parts of Canada and down to northeastern Mexico. While it’s not as
big as the eastern indigo snake, the blue racer has been known to reach 6 feet
in length. Its coloring can range from dull grey to a brilliant blue, which
gives the blue racer its name. It’s a constrictor so unlike the eastern indigo
snake, there will be no cruel beating its prey to death. The blue racer has a much more civilized
approach of wrapping around its prey, and squeezing it until it can’t breathe and
dies. When approached by a predator, it usually opts to flee. When
that’s not an option, the blue racer turns to some interesting behavior.
It starts out violently undulating, as though possessed, before gracefully
and quickly slithering away for about thirty meters, or 98 feet. If that doesn’t
work and it’s cornered, the blue racer will coil up, strike, and vibrate its
tail, much as a rattlesnake would (though it doesn’t have a rattle). Since it
has curved teeth, the bite will hurt and cause bleeding. If a predator gets even
closer, the blue racer will coil, hide its head, and writhe while smearing scent
gland secretions from its head all over its body in between taking an S-shaped
position. If a predator manages to grab it, the blue racer will dump its cloacal
contents and flail to try to escape; its tail might even be ripped off from the
violence of its struggles. This is one snake that really doesn’t want to get
eaten.
5) Acrochordus javanicus, the Elephant Trunk Snake
The elephant trunk snake, or Acrochordus javanicus, is a primitive water
snake. It’s found in the fresh and brackish waters of
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Despite the fact that it’s heavily hunted for
leather, it appears to reproduce quickly enough to make up for this. It gets its
name from its skin, which is grey and looks loose almost like it’s too big. The
knobby appearance also means they’re called “warty snakes”. Elephant trunk
snakes live nearly their entire lives in water. They have small, rough adjacent
scales all over, and they lack the broad belly scales that would allow them to
properly move on land. Fortunately for these snakes, they’re born live.
Elephant Trunk Snake
This means the females don’t have to go on land and find a safe place to lay
their eggs. Instead,
she can expel live young directly into the water. It’s also nocturnal, and during
the day it finds places to hide in the water. It can stay under water for about forty
minutes, much longer than a human or even other snakes. Because its scales
are so rough and its skin so loose, the elephant trunk snake can fold its body
around fish and amphibians, preventing them from escaping. The rough scales dig
into the prey’s flesh making their hunting rather easy.
4) Rhabdophis tigrinus, the Tiger Keelback
The tiger keelback, Rhabdophis tigrinus, also known as the yamakagashi or
Japanese water snake, looks just like any other snake. It’s usually a meter or
less in length. It’s an olive-drab snake with black and orange spots or
crossbars down the first third of the body. It’s venomous, but it was thought
harmless until a death from a bite occurred in the 1980s. In short, it’s very much what
people think of when they think of snakes. However, the tiger keelback is
definitely not your typical snake. It hunts poisonous toads and is immune to the toxin
contained in the toad's flesh.
Tiger Keelback
By Yasunori Koide (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0],
via Wikimedia Commons
This isn’t too unusual among snakes, except that it stores the toxin in a
pair of glands in the upper skin of the neck which are called nuchal glands. Female snakes that have high levels of the
bufadienolide toxin in their glands can pass it on to their offspring. When the
snake is threatened, it releases the toxin from the glands. Any predator that
gets a mouthful will at least be in quite a bit of pain, and it will probably
leave the tiger keelback alone. How many other animals do you know of that store
its prey’s toxins for later defensive purposes?
3) Chrysopelea, the Flying Snakes
Chrysopelea is a genus of five species of snakes that are known as the flying snakes.
Their range is in southern and southeast Asia, including India, southernmost
China, Greater and Lesser Sundas Islands, the Philippines, Maluku, Ankara and Sri Lanka.
They aren’t considered dangerous to humans even though they’re venomous. The
concentration of venom is way too low to seriously injure a person. They range from about two feet to
four feet long. And, oh yeah, they’re known for flying.
Flying Snakes
By Alan Couch from Australia (Chrysopelea paradisi - Uploaded by Magnus Manske) [CC-BY-2.0],
via Wikimedia Commons
They of course don’t actually fly. These aren’t winged snakes with magical
flying properties. Instead, they
suck in their stomach and flatten their ribs to create a concave false wing
profile.
They slither up a tree onto a branch, then down to the end of the branch. It
leans forward and apparently does some mental physics calculations to figure out
the proper angle to use to get as far as it wants while choosing a landing
area. When it’s ready, it forms the false wing with its body and uses its tail
to thrust its body away and up from the branch it’s on. They can glide for up to
100 meters through the air. Physicists and the United States Department of Defense have studied
the mechanics of the snake’s gliding recently, trying to work out the other
factors at play in a search for more advanced fixed-wing and glider technology.
A University of Chicago team discovered the fairly self-evident conclusion that
smaller snakes could glide further horizontally. Science or no science, the world has flying (okay, gliding) snakes. Let’s wait
for the Snakenado movie. Maybe they’ll use flamethrowers this time.
2) Cerastes cerastes, the Horned Viper
Cerastes cerastes, or the horned viper, gets its scientific name from the
mythical Greek monster the cerastes. The cerastes was
known as an extremely flexible serpent, to the point that it might not even have
a spine. It had either two large or four small horns, and would hide in the
sand with only its horns showing. When animals would come close believing the
horns were food, the cerastes would lunge up out of the sand and kill the
animal, immediately eating it. The horned viper may be what the cerastes was
based on.
The horned viper occupied a place of myth in the Egyptian religion. The
Egyptians even went so far as mummifying the snakes. The mummies have been found in Thebes, an ancient city located on the
banks of the Nile. The horned viper gets its name from the two horns it has on
its face. Not all snake populations have these very indicative physical
characteristics, making the horned viper easier to identify. Throughout its
geographical range, the horned viper is the most distinctive and prevalent
venomous snake. Its venom contains at least 13 toxins that cause localized
swelling, acute pain, excessive bleeding or clotting (depending on where the
snake is from), abdominal pain, kidney failure, sweating, nausea and heart
irregularities. Bites from a horned viper are not typically fatal, but are
extremely
unpleasant to the point of wishing for death.
1) Atractaspididae, the Burrowing Asps
Burrowing asps make up the family Astractaspididae. They’re also known as stiletto snakes or African burrowing snakes. They live
most of their lives underground, where they freely hunt rodents and other burrowing
mammals. What is particularly interesting is the small-scaled burrowing asp, or Atractaspis microlepidota.
As the Latin route of the species designation suggests, micro, meaning very
small. All Atractapis are
found in the middle of Africa, mainly the tropical and southern regions. The
small-scaled burrowing asp in particular is found in West Africa, including
Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and into Sudan. Its head is covered in plates, rather than
small scales, which sets it apart from the rest of the viper family. The most striking facts
about the small-scaled burrowing asp involve its fangs and venom.
Burrowing Asp
These small-scaled burrowing asps don’t have to open their mouths to use their fangs,
and in fact usually only use one fang for reasons unknown. They come up beside the prey and use one
fang to stab and envenomate their prey. The fangs can be manipulated
independently and used to move prey into a better position for eating. In one
study, the asps envenomed all the offered mice before eating any of them. This
is an extremely unusual behavior for snakes. One possible reason is to protect
themselves from adult mice that might otherwise be a threat. The venom causes
hyperactivity, scratching, and irritation in the small-scaled burrowing asp’s
prey before it succumbs. Fortunately, the venom is not usually lethal to humans,
but young children have died from bites.
Conclusion
Snakes are a fascinating suborder of animals. They vary greatly around the
world, from small, burrowing asps to tree-dwelling gliders, to aquatic swimmers.
Throughout their existence over many years, snakes have ranged in size from under four inches to nearly 50
feet. Our 15 most fascinating are just a small subset of all the snakes in the
world. Many were not listed on this list that are amazing in their own ways. We encourage you to do further reading
and research to discover what your favorites truly
are.
References:
15)
SmithsonianChannel.com
14)
Discovery.com
11)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
10)
Australian Reptile Park
8)
UMich.edu’s Animal Diversity page on the Honduran milk snake
7)
Smithsonian Marine Station page
6)
a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources page
5)
IUCN
3)
an article in the Integrative & Comparative Biology Oxford Journal
When many people think of snakes, the first thing that comes to mind is
Lucifer in the form of a serpent tempting Eve with an apple from the Tree of
Knowledge and, therefore, original sin. While this may be part of why people
associate snakes with fear and loathing, it’s more likely that snakes got their
evil reputation from their appearance first. Snakes strike fear into the primal
parts of the human brain. No wonder the human brain is ingrained to fear snakes, many species of snakes are venomous and
can easily kill a person.
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