Snakes, the characteristics of which are given in the framework of this article, all without exception in nature are predators. You will not find among them a single herbivorous species. The menu of these reptiles is quite diverse: they feed on almost everything that moves. But even among snakes there are gourmets who prefer … other snakes! You heard right: snakes that feed on snakes are not an exception, but a pattern.
Who are snakes?
Snakes are called a kind of group of animals representing a class of reptiles, or reptiles. They are represented by one single squad - Scaly. All of them are predators. However, among the huge variety of these animals there are both harmless and cute creatures, as well as creatures that pose a serious danger to other animals and, of course, people.
Where do snakes live?
Snakes that feed on snakes, as well as all their other species, have been found by humans on almost all continents of the globe. The exception is Antarctica, some large (New Zealand, Ireland) and small islands of the Atlantic Ocean and the central Pacific Ocean. Currently, more than 3000 species of various snakes live on our planet. About a quarter of them are poisonous. By the way, they all come together in 14 families.
Why do they need poison?
As we noted above, non-toxic snakes are represented by a large number of species than poisonous ones. Nevertheless, you should not write off dangerous snakes for humans. As the name implies, poisonous reptiles use some kind of toxic substance - poison. They need him primarily for hunting for a particular victim, and not for self-defense, as is commonly believed. The poison of some of them is so toxic that without much difficulty it will kill a person. That's why snakes in nature are real creeping deadly weapons!
Snake skin
As a rule, the whole body of the snake is covered with skin, or scales. A very important point to make here. Contrary to popular belief, the skin of these creatures is absolutely dry, and not mucous and moist, as is commonly believed. Perhaps this confusion arose due to the conditional similarity of snakes with slippery and wet earthworms.
The vast majority of snakes have a specific skin structure on their stomach. This is necessary for them to better grip the surface on which they crawl. Some people believe that these reptiles have no eyelids. This is not true. They are, but not like many animals. The eyelids of snakes are represented by transparent scales and are always closed.
Are there white snakes?
They exist. But not as an independent species, but as genetically unique individuals. In other words, the white snake is the most common albino. The most famous Californian albinos. Scientists claim that soon they can occupy about 70% of the entire inhabited territory on the Canary Islands.
The white snake is a rather rare specimen in nature. It can be found in any of the families of these reptiles - from harmless snake to black mamba or king cobra! Do not confuse these albinos with milk snakes, since the latter have a completely different body color.
What do snakes eat?
As we noted above, snakes in nature feed on almost everything that just moves. They professionally hunt frogs, rats, shrews, mouse rodents, grasshoppers, birds, antelopes, wild boars, crocodiles, etc. When the snake begins to swallow the victim, it widely spreads the so-called branches of the lower jaw. If the prey is large, the reptile can swallow it for an entire hour.
For example, large snakes (reticulated python, anaconda, water boa) first strangle their prey with the help of the rings of their body, and only then - they swallow it whole and gradually. One of the most favorite delicacies of these reptiles are bird eggs. Small snakes, on the contrary, do not use methods of strangulation, much less wait for their prey to die. They eat small vertebrate and invertebrate animals still alive.
No wonder they say that any exception confirms the rule. There are exceptions among snakes. Although they eat everything in a row, some of them are very picky about food choices. For example, a green North American snake eats exclusively spiders, caterpillars, fish and birds. This creature will never touch mice or lizards. And small water snakes devour only frogs and fish, while they prefer not to touch land mammals at all.
