SNAKE
			Phylum: Class: Order: Chordata Reptilia Squamata

Throughout the years, our long, slinky friends have been both loved, and loathed, by many. Unlike lizards, they lack certain body features such as shoulders, moveable eyelids, and ears. In fact, snakes cannot hear. For their protection, they have a built-in sense of radar they use through their deeply forked tongues. This radar enables a snake to taste and smell their environment, and gives it the ability to follow scent trails.

Body patterns differ dramatically amongst the snake species. Their brilliant markings can consist of speckles, spots, vertical or horizontal stripes, diamond shapes, rosette patterns, or a combination of several of these. Many snakes are known for their bright colors such as the California king.

All snakes, are carnivorous. In the wild, they will rarely eat anything they have not caught themselves. When a snake swallows large prey, it unhinges its jaws, and opens its mouth wide enough to consume more than twice the diameter of its own head. The animal does this by using a see-saw type of maneuvering motion, pushing the food into its body.

When it comes to travel, most snakes move side to side, gliding forward as their sides press against any roughness in the ground. Big snakes, such as boas and pythons proceed by a type of caterpillar crawl, thrusting back with the exposed edges of their overlapping stomach scales. The sidewinder uses its own special type of propulsion. (See sidewinder section for further details).

Currently, there are over 2,000 snakes in existence, of which only about 300 are dangerous to people. These are the venomous snakes, some of which carry venom in their hollow fangs. A great misconception is that they carry poison in their forked tongues.

With the exception of Antarctica, snakes live on all continents. Some species are adapted to a burrowing life, while others are ground-dwellers. Some breeds are tree-climbers, and others swim in fresh or salt water. Most species lay eggs, however some give birth to live young.

In order for most snakes to grow and be healthy, they must shed their skin. These shedding cycles vary among different species, and range anywhere from every 4 to 10 weeks.