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Information about Snake

The snakes or serpents are legless reptiles, some
of which have a venomous bite which they use to    Scientific classification

kill their prey before eating it. Other snakes     Kingdom:   Animalia
kill their prey by constriction, for example
strangulation.                                     Phylum:    Chordata
                                                   Class:     Reptilia
Snakes are closely related to lizards, which share Order:     Squamata
the order Squamata. There are also several species
of legless lizard which superficially resemble     Sub-order: Serpentes
snakes, but are not otherwise related to them.

Although they may be venomous and have a bad reputation, snakes do not not
prey on humans. Most snakes will attack a human being only if startled or
injured. If you look where you are walking and make plenty of noise, a snake
will get out of your way rather than waiting for you to step on it. In many
areas, most snakes are non-venomous or have venom that is not harmful to
humans, and are Colubrid. Australia is an exception - most snakes in
Australia are extremely venomous and should be given a very wide berth.

All snakes are carnivorous, eating small animals, birds or insects. Snakes
do not chew their food. Snakes have very flexible lower jaws, the two halves
of which are not rigidly attached, allowing them to open their mouths wide
enough to swallow their prey whole, even if it is larger in diameter than
the snake itself. Contrary to the popular myth, at no point do they
"unhinge" their jaws (disarticulate their mandibular joints). After eating,
snakes become torpid while the process of digestion takes place.

The skin is covered in scales. Most snakes use specialized belly scales to
move, gripping surfaces. Their eyelids are permanently closed but
transparent "spectacle" scales. They shed their skin periodically. Unlike
other reptiles, this is done in one piece, like pulling off a sock. It is
thought that the primary purpose of this is to remove external parasites.
This periodic renewal has led to the snake being a symbol of healing and
medicine, as pictured in the Rod of Asclepius

Detailed vision is limited, but does not prevent detection of movement. A
subgroup of snakes called the pit vipers have infrared sensitve receptors in
deep grooves between the nostril and eye which allow them to 'see' the heat
radiated by animals. Hearing is restricted to the sensing of ground
vibrations, as snakes have no external ears. A snake smells through its
nose, and the tongue passes airborne particles to the Jacobson's organ in
the mouth for examination. The left lung is very small or sometimes even
absent, as snakes' tubular bodies require all of their organs to be long and
thin, and to accomodate them all only one lung is functional.

[edit]

List of some species

Order:Squamata

   * Sub-order:Serpentes
        o Family Boidae, Boas
        o Family Viperidae, Vipers
             + American Copperhead
        o Family Elapidae
             + King Cobra
             + Australian copperheads
        o Family Colubridae
             + Rat Snake
             + Milk Snake
             + king snakes

Miscellaneous

One of the constellations of the sky, Serpens, represents a snake, being
tamed by the snake-handler Ophiuchus.

Snake is consider as symbol of evil in Christian.

The Snake is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese
zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is thought that each animal in
the Chinese zodiac is associated with certain personality traits.

The Snake is also the name of a river in the western United States of
America.

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