Snakes belong to the animal group called reptiles. This group also includes crocodiles, lizards, and turtles. Reptiles are cold-blooded animals that raise their body temperature by lying in the sun or lower it by crawling into the shade. Their body temperature changes to the temperature of its surroundings. Because of this, snakes that live in colder climates must hibernate through the winter. They will find burrows or caves and fall into a deep sleep until the weather warms up enough for them.

There are more than 2,700 species of snakes in the world. They live almost everywhere, in deserts, forests, oceans, streams, and lakes. Snakes live on the ground, in trees, and in water. There are a few areas where snakes do not live. They cannot survive in places where the ground stays frozen all year around, such as in the high mountainous regions, above the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. Some islands, including Ireland and New Zealand, do not have snakes at all.

Snakes bodies are covered with plates and scales. Without this protective armor snakes could not move over rough or hot surfaces like tree bark, rocks, and hot desert sand. Their scales are also nearly waterproof and help to keep the water out. Rough belly scales allow the snake to keep their grip on rough branches and to push off of surfaces when they need to move.

Scales are made up of layers of cells stacked one on top of the other. The outer cells are dead and protect the living ones underneath them. A few times every year a snake will shed a layer of dead skin. The cells underneath are then ready to take over as the outer layer.

In case you were wondering (cause they are soooo flexible), snakes actually do have bones. Animals with bones are know as vertebrates -- snakes are vertebrates.

All those bones and the strong muscles protect the internal organs. The throat of the snake takes up the front one-third of the body. It leads to a really long stomach, which, like the throat, will stretch to the size of whatever the snake is eating.

Snakes also have two long lungs, a long liver, kidneys and intestines. The last quarter of the snake has a small anal opening (they have to poop, you know!) covered by a scale called the anal plate, and the rest is tail made up of more bone.

Concertina method: this is when snakes bunch themselves up and then throw themselves forward.

Rectilinear Method: This is a slow, creeping, straight movement. The snake uses some of the wide scales on its belly to grip the ground while pushing forward with the others.

The jaws of the snakes are not fused together. That means that unlike our jaws, snakes jaws are not hooked up at the back of their mouths. This makes it possible for them to eat very big meals, bigger than their own heads! That would be like you swallowing a whole watermelon!

If you had your mouth full of a watermelon, do you think you could breathe? Not likely! Snakes can. They have a little tube at the bottom of their mouth that comes out far enough to get air when the rest of their mouth is full.

Although most snakes have teeth, four rows on the top and two on the bottom, not all snakes have fangs. Only the poisonous ones do.

Since the poison will work almost immediately, some snakes will hold onto the animal, which is unlucky enough to be in its mouth, until it stops struggling and the snake can start to swallow it. Other snakes will bite and then release the animal so that it does not get hurt when the animal struggles and slowly dies. These snakes will use their flicking tongue to smell and follow the victim until it dies and can be eaten.

Sea snakes are thought to be the most poisonous of all snakes. Other poisonous snakes include Adders, Cottonmouths, Rattlesnakes, copperheads, and Cobras. Spitting Cobras can spit venom up to 6 feet away! Yuk!

Snakes use their senses to hunt, escape danger, and to find a mate. Since snakes have very poor eyesight their other senses need to make up for it.

Snakes can absorb vibrations through the ground and determine the size of the prey or danger by its movements.

The smallest of all snakes, the Thread snake, eats the pupae, or eggs, of ants and centipedes. The largest snakes, the Pythons and Anacondas, have been known to eat, deer and pigs! Most snakes live off of insects, rodents, birds, eggs, fish, frogs, lizards and small mammals.

Believe it or not, some snakes only need to eat a couple times a year!

Some snakes, such as boas, rattlesnakes and garter snakes, give birth to live young. That means that the baby snakes develop inside their mother. When they are born they are covered with a thin membrane, kind of like a goopy baggie. The baby uses an egg tooth to rip out of the membrane and wriggle free.

All snakes will lose their egg tooth shortly after hatching.

Snakes will reproduce, or give birth, once a year to every 3 years.

It is hard to believe but snakes have many enemies. Large birds, wild boars, mongooses, raccoons, foxes, coyotes and even other snakes are a few of the dangers snakes fall prey to.

Many people find it surprising that the largest and the scariest snakes can be afraid of anything, but it is true. While they are young they are easy prey to many birds and mammals but when they are older and larger they have humans to fear.

Humans hunt snakes for various reasons. Many different breeds of snakes are captured and shipped to other countries to be sold in pet shops. Venomous snakes are used for making anti-venon, which is made from their venom and is used to save the life of a snakebite victim. Snakeskin is used for making many things including shoes, purses and belts. And, unfortunately, many people often kill snakes out of fear.

One of the biggest threats to the snake population, the same as with many other animals, is the destruction of their habitats by humans. Their homes are being destroyed to make room for ranches, farms and highways.

Snakes have many ways of protecting themselves. Their coloring alone is great camouflage and some snakes can burrow down under sand or leaves for extra coverage. Some huff, puff and hiss loudly or shake their rattle tail to scare off a possible predator while others will flop over and hang their tongue out and play dead! Venomous snakes will try to escape or frighten off a hunter before ever trying to bite them.

All rattlesnakes are Pit Vipers. Water Moccasins,  Lance-head, Eyelash Viper, and  the Copperhead.