eHow launches Android app: Get the best of eHow on the go.

  • Bookmark and Share

Snakes

    Snakes Editor's Picks

    • How to Take Care of Ball Python Snakes

      It is important to be well educated about pythons before purchasing one. These snakes are not for new pet owners; they can be difficult to keep, and they require a lot of work. The following article gives an overview on caring for a ball python. more »

    • How Do Sea Snakes Mate?

      Sea snakes don't breed well in captivity and are not recommended as pets. However, attempts are being made by zoos and aquariums to breed them to keep various species from going extinct. There is still a lot about sea snake biology that we don't know, but scientists do know that there are dozens of snake species grouped under the term... more »

    • How to Face Your Fear of Snakes

      The fear of snakes goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden and is a very deep phobia for many people. Overcoming the fear of snakes is a challenge because there are dangerous snakes that you should fear. The key to facing your phobia is information. This article will show you how to face this fear. more »

    • How to Identify Garden Snakes

      Garden snakes are a commonly-used term associated with the agile, harmless snakes often discovered in a backyard garden. This snake species is also called a "Garter Snake." They can range in color and size and be aggressive or docile, depending on it's subspecies and habitat conditions. Despite difference amongst garden snakes, this... more »

    • How Do Corn Snakes Mate?

      Female corn snakes come out of their yearly brumation (or cooling off) period after three to four months and are ravenous for food. After eating consistently for a short time, they will do their pre-breeding shed. This attracts the male corn snakes, who are drawn to a pheromone found in the skin of reproductive females. Males do not... more »

    Snakes Quick Guides

    • Exotic Pets

      Puppies may be cuter, kittens may be cuddlier, but nothing could be quite so impressive as...

    • Pigeon Control for Beginners

      For more than 20 million years, pigeons have roamed the Earth. And sometimes, their...

    • Get Rid of Mice Guide

      Eek! Mouse in the house. Most people cringe at the thought of a furry little rodent invading...

    Snakes Articles

    • How to Keep Snakes Away From a House

      Finding a snake in your yard or in your house is a scary sight, no matter what type of slithery creature it is. Poisonous or not, few people want... more »

    • How to Raise Snakes

      Regardless of whether you raise snakes for profit or have them for a pet, the process is still the same. Raising a snake to sell can be profitable... more »

    • How to Take Care of Snakes

      Owning a snake as a pet can be a delightful experience. You wouldn’t think that they require much besides a place to stay and food.... more »

    • How to Get Rid of Snakes

      Snakes: just hearing the word makes people cringe. Benign species such as gopher, grass and garter snakes benefit the garden by eating destructive... more »

    • How to Avoid Buying Certain Snakes

      Owning an exotic pet is a decision that requires the person to spend time researching the pet that they desire. Exotic pets, such as snakes,... more »

    Wikipedia

    Snake

    Cretaceous – image_caption Common garter snake, [[Common Garter Snake|Thamnophis sirtalis
    | regnum phylum [[Chordata
    | subphylum classis [[Reptilia
    | ordo subordo_authority [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus, 1758
    | range_map World.distribution.serpentes.1.png
    | range_map_caption World range of snakes(rough range of subdivision_ranks [[Infraorders
    | subdivision * Alethinophidia – Nopcsa, 1923
    * Scolecophidia – Cope, 1864
    }}

    Snakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with many more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. In order to accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca.

    Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica and most islands. Fifteen families are currently recognized comprising 456 genera and over 2,900 species."ITIS">"NRDB-Cs"> at the . Accessed 4 December 2008. They range in size from the tiny, 10 cm long thread snake to pythons and anacondas of up to in length. The recently discovered fossil Titanoboa was long. Snakes are thought to have evolved from either burrowing or aquatic lizards during the Cretaceous period (c 150 Ma). The diversity of modern snakes appeared during the Paleocene period (c 66 to 56 Ma).

    Most species are non-venomous and those that have venom use it primarily to kill and subdue prey rather than self-defense. Some possess venom potent enough to cause painful injury or death to humans. Those which are read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake

    Related Ads

    Snakes People & Community

    Connect with people who share your interest by joining one of our Groups:

    Topic Contributors
    Get Free Pets Newsletters

    Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   en-US Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.

    Demand Media