Snakes use their upper and lower teeth to grasp food, venomous snakes use their distinct fangs as well. Snakes’ forked tongues allow detecting minor scents which aid in hunting. Strong muscles lining the body walls allow for the slow digestion of pret and the expansion of the body to allow the passage of food. The portion of the right lung closest to the head does most of the respiration, whereas the portion closest to the tail functions more like an air sac. Most snakes have a small or vestigial left lung, while the right lung is much longer and more functional. The flexible jaw allows a snake to swallow its prey whole, even prey many times larger than the circumference of its body. While eating, the snake can extend its glottis out the side of its mouth, so that it can continue breathing while digesting large prey. A small piece of cartilage in the glottis vibrates when the breath is expelled, which produces the snake’s hiss. The glottis is always closed in a vertical slit, except for when the snake takes a breath. Behind the snake’s tongue, they have a small opening called the glottis, which leads to the trachea. The anatomy of snakes’ respiratory system is interesting. One of the most distincting characteristics of snakes is the shedding of snakeskin, or molting, that allows cell turnover and new growth. Snake species can range in size from 4.1 inches to 17.1 feet. Snakes are able to detect low frequency sounds that aid in detecting motion and waves traveling through solid ground. The layer that is shed is called the epidermis, whereas the developed layer underneath is the dermis. Scales are made from keratin, the same material that makes up fingernails in humans. The scales of a snake provide an evolutionary advantage because they protect from injury. Scales usually come in distinct patterns that aid in species identification as well as serve to warn off predators or blend in with the natural environment. The snake extends its head and grips the surface with its ventral scales, forming tight curves with the middle of its body and pulling its back end up. The concertina method of movement is used for climbing. The snake’s ventral scales on the bottom curves grip the ground, allowing the snake to push itself forward. However, these curves are up and down rather than lateral. The caterpillar method of movement is much slower, and also involves contracting muscles to create curves. On land, snakes will use resistance points such as rocks or sticks to propel themselves forward. Aquatic snakes prefer this method because the water pushes back against the snake’s motion and propels it forward. The snake contracts its neck muscles to move its body from side-to-side. Most snakes use the serpentine method, which is the familiar S-shape movement that most people associate with snakes. There are three other methods that snakes use to move: serpentine, caterpillar, and concertina. When sidewinding, a snake will contract its muscles to hurl its body through the air, moving laterally and maintaining only two points of contact with the ground. This is typically used on slippery surfaces like sand or mud. They can also travel sideways in a motion called sidewinding. Because of this, they have the flexibility to move forward using a fluid side-to-side motion. Snake Movementĭepending on the species, snakes can have 200-400 vertebrae. Only about 725 species of snakes in total are venomous, and most do not attack humans but use their fatal bite to feed on prey sich as rodents, reptiles, birds, fish, or other smaller animals. This tooth is used to break through the shell of the egg and is later shed. Egg-laying species give birth to young that develop a special egg tooth that grows at the tip of its face. Snakes reproduce sexually and approximately half of Missouri’s snakes lay eggs, rather than giving birth to live young. Pit vipers can also be distinguished by their vertical pupil shape. These pits serve as infrared-detecting organs, allowing them to detect prey. All five of Missouri’s venomous snakes are pit vipers, meaning they all have a deep pit between the eye and nostril on both sides of the head. Most of the snakes in Missouri are also found in varying concentrations in the surrounding states but some stretch to areas even further away. The United States is home to about 50 species of snakes with 47 of those species being found in Missouri. Snakes are reptiles in the Linnaean taxonomy that include over 3,600 species distributed on every continent besides Antartica.
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