We've all heard the stories about snakes shedding their skin and constricting prey to death, but we've gathered together some of the more surprising facts about snakes you may not be so familiar with. From flying snakes to virgin births, prepare to be amazed...
10 amazing snake facts
1. Snakes don’t have ears – but they can hear with their jaw
They may not have external ears, but snakes can detect low-frequency vibrations through their jawbones, which then transmit soundwaves to the inner ears.
2. They can adjust their venom depending on the situation
Some species of venomous snakes can alter the composition of their venom to meet the needs of the specific situation they find themselves in. Factors may include the size or behaviour of the target species. The venom will be more neurotoxic for a quicker kill, or more hemotoxic for digestion. Some snakes can evolve their venom over time to meet the changes in their prey’s biology.
3. Snakes can regrow their teeth
Snakes can sometimes lose their teeth during feeding, but new teeth grow constantly to replace them. Some species can lose hundreds of teeth over a lifetime.
4. They can play dead
Species such as the eastern hognose snake engage in the sport of ‘thanatosis’, which essentially means they play dead when they are under threat. They may flip onto their backs, open their mouths, convulse, appear to bleed from their mouths, defecate or remain motionless – sometimes they may even emit a bad-smelling odour.
5. Even blind snakes can see
The Leptotyphlopidea family of snakes – known as slender blind snakes – are technically considered blind, but they have an eye structure that can detect light and dark. Their tiny eyes can detect changes in light intensity, which helps them navigate underground in very dimly lit environments.
6. Some species can fly and cartwheel
In order to escape predators, some species of snake have been known to perform impressive gymnastics. The dwarf reed scape is able to cartwheel away when it senses the presence of a predators, a trick researchers discovered when they spotted an adult dwarf reed snake crossing a road in Malaysia. Others, such as flying snakes, can glide through the air by lifting themselves up and undulating their body back and forth.
7. Some female snakes can reproduce without a fella
Species such as the brahminy blind snake are known to practice ‘parthenogenesis’, a form of asexual reproduction in which the females can fertilise their own eggs without the need of a male. The offspring they produce is genetically identical to themselves.
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8. They can survive for months without eating
Some species of snake can go for up to six months without eating, particularly when they’re hibernating or in periods of slower metabolism. Most snakes can survive for extended periods though, so this isn’t hugely uncommon.
9. Sea snakes can expel salt from their bodies so they don’t dehydrate
Sea snakes have done some pretty impressive evolution, having developed glands that allow them to expel salt from their bodies. Some species can survive in full-strength seawater without getting dehydration or salt poisoning.
10. Male snakes have two penises
Male snakes are equipped with two penises, known as hemipenes, and can use either to mate. Depending on the species, the organs may be covered with recurved spines, cups, bumps or folds to ensure that the male stays attached to the female until his sperm is released.
- How do snakes mate? A guide to snake sex
- The world's weirdest penises – including a detachable one that swims off after a mate and another that grows back three times
11. There's a snake with a spider on its tail
Over the mountains near the western Iranian desert, a peckish migrating lark spots a welcome sight: a big, juicy spider, out in the open like a pie on a windowsill. The lark descends upon the naive arachnid, little claws outstretched. And then: WHAP!
The meal-seeker has become the meal, trapped in the jaws of an enormous snake. The lark’s would-be snack was not a real bug but an anatomical forgery: the incredible appendage of the spider-tailed horned viper
Discover the weirdest snakes in the world here...
12. The fastest snake in the world can reach speeds of 15kmph
This title of world's fastest snake goes to the black mamba, a snake that occurs in the dry bushlands of eastern Africa and is well known for its neurotoxic venom.
A largely terrestrial species that can reach approximately 4m in length, the black mamba has been recorded travelling at speeds of up to 15kmph on open ground.
- Get to know the fearsome black mamba – one of the word's deadliest snakes
- Snake more lethal than we thought: Scientists find deadly mambas have a secret second strike that's more dangerous than their first. here's why...
- 61 black mambas captured in African city. Here's what experts found in their scales – and why it matters
13. Biggest recorded snake in the world is 10 metres long
The biggest snake in the world is the reticulated python. While a 22.8-foot individual is the longest reliably recorded reticulated python, there have been reports of individuals reaching almost 33-feet (10-metres) long. That’s the length of a double decker bus!
- "That’s the length of a double decker bus!" 33ft monster tops biggest snakes in the world list
- At 10 metres long this snake is not only the world's longest and heaviest, but one of the deadliest too, capable of swallowing a human whole
- 10 animals that could swallow a human whole, from snakes to sharks
14. There's a snake that makes nests
The female king cobra is the only snake species to build a nest for her eggs. In the Western Ghats of South India, a female starts constructing her nest in the dry month of April, just before the rains arrive in May.
She chooses a well-drained spot, often below a large tree or a clump of bamboo. She then spends several days gathering leaves into a pile, sweeping them together with her body, and carrying them in a tight coil – a huge feat which requires enormous amounts of energy.
