FILE 001Snakes👅vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organA snake's forked tongue delivers odor molecules to the vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organ in the roof of its mouth.SrcNatural History Museum (London)Pass the claimOpen file
FILE 002Snakes🐍Sharespectacle (brille)Snakes have no eyelids — each eye is covered by a transparent scale called a spectacle (brille).SrcNatural History Museum (London)
FILE 003Snakes🦴Share100–400 vertebraeA snake's spine can hold 100–400 vertebrae — plus up to about 200 more in the tail — far more than a human's 33.SrcNatural History Museum (London)
FILE 004Snakes🧬Sharepelvic spursPythons and boas still carry pelvic spurs — claw-like remnants of ancestral hind limbs used in courtship, not walking.SrcBritish Herpetological Society — Herpetological Bulletin
FILE 005Snakes🥚ShareOphiophagusKing cobras (genus Ophiophagus) are the world's longest venomous snakes — adults commonly exceed 3.6 metres.SrcEncyclopaedia Britannica
FILE 006Snakes🏃Share12.5 mphThe black mamba can reach about 12.5 mph — among the fastest snakes on land — though its body is olive-gray, not black.SrcEncyclopaedia Britannica
FILE 007Snakes🪱Share100 mm longThe Barbados threadsnake is only about 100 mm long (~4 inches) — among the smallest snakes known.SrcZootaxa (Hedges, 2008)
FILE 008Snakes👁️Share0.003°C or lessPit viper facial pits can sense temperature changes of 0.003°C or less — enough to track warm prey in darkness.SrcJournal of Experimental Biology
FILE 009Snakes🦎Shareglide while undulatingChrysopelea flying snakes launch from trees and glide while undulating — flattening the body into an airfoil mid-air.SrcJournal of Experimental Biology
FILE 010Snakes🌊Share33% of their oxygen needsYellow-bellied sea snakes can meet up to 33% of their oxygen needs through the skin while diving.SrcJournal of Experimental Biology (citing Graham 1974)
FILE 011Snakes💊ShareBothrops jararaca venomCaptopril, a pioneering blood-pressure drug, was developed from peptides in Bothrops jararaca venom.SrcPubMed / Toxinology review
FILE 012Snakes🐍Share18 feetKing cobras can reach 18 feet, and females push leaves and branches into nest piles for their eggs — unique among snakes.SrcSmithsonian National Zoo
FILE 013Snakes❄️Sharetens of thousandsEach spring at Manitoba's Narcisse Snake Dens, tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes emerge from limestone dens — the largest snake aggregation on Earth.SrcManitoba Natural Resources — Narcisse Snake Dens
FILE 014Snakes🐍Share1.5 meters awaySpitting cobras stream venom toward a predator's eyes and can hit moving targets more than 1.5 meters away by tracking and anticipating head motion.SrcJournal of Experimental Biology (Westhoff et al., 2010)
FILE 015Snakes💀Sharemost toxic of any snakeThe inland taipan's venom is rated the most toxic of any snake in standard LD50 mouse tests — yet the shy species lives remotely and rarely bites people.SrcAustralian Museum
FILE 016Snakes🐍Share42 feet longTitanoboa, a Palaeocene snake from Colombia, is estimated at about 42 feet long and over a ton — the largest known snake from the fossil record.SrcNature (Head et al., 2009)
FILE 017Snakes🌡️SharePit vipersPit vipers (including rattlesnakes) have heat-sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils that can detect <hl>temperature differences as small as 0.003°C</hl> — allowing them to "see" warm-blooded prey in total darkness.SrcNature
FILE 018Snakes🥚Shareking cobraThe king cobra is the only snake in the world that builds a nest for its eggs, gathering leaves and vegetation into a mound and guarding it aggressively for the entire 60–90 day incubation period.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 019Snakes🐍Sharereticulated pythonThe reticulated python is the longest snake in the world, reaching lengths over <hl>23 feet</hl>. Found in Southeast Asia, it is one of the few snakes large enough to swallow a human — and confirmed cases exist.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 020Snakes🐍ShareAnacondasAnacondas give birth to <hl>live young</hl> — up to 80 babies at once. The green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world, weighing over 500 pounds, and can go months between meals after swallowing large prey whole.SrcNational Geographic