Top 7 Interesting Facts About Snakes & Reptiles

Top 7 Interesting Facts About Snakes & Reptiles

Reptiles are one of the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom. Their behaviors and physical attributes cover a broad spectrum, which is one of the reasons we humans find them so fascinating.

There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about reptiles these days, but (thankfully) not nearly as many as in the past. Today, we know more about reptiles than we ever have, and this knowledge has brought to light many interesting facts about these creatures and their lives.

This article is a good example of the amazing diversity of reptiles. Below, I have compiled what I feel are some of the most interesting facts about the reptiles of the world. Some of these are facts about reptiles in general, while other are facts about particular species within the class Reptilia.

1. Reptiles are the oldest type of animal on the planet. Turtles, for example, have been on the planet for more than 200 million years, in basically the same form as we see them today. For this reason and many more, reptiles deserve respect from us humans. They do not deserve fear or persecution!

2. Many states such as Georgia and Texas still engage in "rattlesnake roundups," in which rattlesnakes are gathered from the wild and slaughtered by the hundreds. These activities are mostly practiced by ignorant rednecks who think that rattlesnakes are somehow evil or malicious. Eventually (one can hope), such practices will be outlawed ... ideally before yet another species of animal goes extinct on this planet.

3. The world's longest snake species is the reticulated python, which can exceed 30 feet (10 meters) in length. While reticulated pythons typically grow longer, the anaconda could be considered the largest snake by overall size and weight. The anaconda is a heavy-bodied snake and can weigh well over 300 pounds. Learn more about types of big snakes.

4. Many people think that reptiles are slimy. But the fact is that reptiles do not have sweat glands like you and I have, so their skin is usually cool and dry. I have several pet snakes for example, and people who touch them for the first time always say the same thing: "Oh wow, they're not slimy at all."

5. The skulls of snakes are made up of many small bones that are interconnected in a flexible fashion. This is entirely different from a human skull, which is one solid piece. This allows snakes to expand their jaws and heads in order to eat prey items larger than their heads. A common garter snake, for example, could swallow a frog more than twice the size of its head. Large constrictors such as the anaconda can expand their jaws to an almost alarming degree!

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6. Snakes and lizards flick their tongues in the air to capture scent particles. They don't smell through their noses like you and I. Instead, the use their tongues to collect scent particles and then pass the particles over something called a Jacobson's organ to decipher the air around them. This is partly how reptiles hunt for food.

7. There are more than 8,000 species of reptiles on the planet, and the live on every continent except Antarctica (where it is too cold). "Cold-blooded" is not the best way to describe reptiles. Their blood is not necessarily cold by itself. But they are ectothermic, which means they get their body heat from external sources. Reptiles cannot regulate their body temperature internally as humans do. Reptiles are among the longest-lived species on the planet. For example, large tortoises such as the Aldabra tortoise can live for more than 150 years. Alligators can live nearly 70 years. Ball pythons, a popular type of pet snake, can live up to 40 years (consider that before getting one as a pet).