The anaconda is one big snake, and it does something unusual.
The anaconda, one of the world's largest snakes, gives birth to its young instead of laying eggs.
Do monkeys have words for different predators?
Vervet monkeys use different alarm calls for leopards, eagles, and snakes, and other vervets react to each call in the right way, like climbing trees or looking up.
Do snakes have eyelids?
Snakes don't have eyelids. Instead, each eye is covered by a clear scale called a brille, which is why snakes can't blink and seem to stare.
Why do snakes flick their tongues?
Snakes flick their tongues to collect scent particles from the air and deliver them to the Jacobson's organ in the roof of the mouth, which basically lets them smell with their tongues.
Do snakes unhinge their jaws?
Snakes don't literally unhinge their jaws. Their lower jaw bones aren't fused at the chin and are connected by stretchy ligaments, which lets them swallow prey much wider than their heads.
What is the longest snake in captivity?
A reticulated python named Medusa from Kansas City holds the Guinness World Record for the longest snake ever in captivity, measuring about 25 feet long.
What is the most venomous snake?
Based on venom strength in lab tests, the inland taipan of Australia is the most venomous land snake in the world, but it's shy and rarely bites people.
How many people die from snakebites each year?
The World Health Organization estimates that snakebites kill between about 81,000 and 138,000 people every year, mostly in rural parts of Africa and Asia.
Why are there no snakes in Ireland?
Legend says Saint Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, but scientists say snakes never got there after the last Ice Age because the island was cut off by the sea.
Can snakes reproduce without a mate?
Some female snakes can reproduce without a male through parthenogenesis, or "virgin birth," which has been documented in species like boas and pythons.
How do pit vipers find prey in the dark?
Pit vipers, like rattlesnakes, have heat-sensing pits on their faces that detect infrared radiation, so they can "see" the body heat of warm prey in total darkness.
How did a snake wipe out Guam's birds?
The brown tree snake was accidentally brought to Guam around WWII and wiped out most of the island's native forest birds, one of the worst invasive species disasters ever recorded.
Why is there an eagle on Mexico's flag?
Mexico's flag shows an eagle on a cactus eating a snake, from the legend of how the Aztecs chose where to build their capital.