There are more than 2,700 snakes varieties spread all over the world in temperate and warm climates; the only part of the globe where snakes cannot live is Antarctica. Snakes vary in size from a few centimeters to more than nine meters in the case of the anacondas or the pythons. Venomous snakes are a minority in this incredibly large reptile family, but venom they inject in prey is so powerful that it could kill a human being within a few minutes. According to studies, the history and origins of snakes go back to the Cretaceous period, some 150 million years ago, when snakes are assumed to have evolved from a lizard and adapted to a different living habitat.
Primitive distinctive marks of this ancestry are still present with some snakes, this is the case with pythons and boas that still carry hind limbs remains, which only point to a past when snakes were more lizard-like than they are today. Snakes or serpents making the subject of symbolic creations and being widely illustrated in artistic form. Mankind hunted down or worshiped snakes throughout its history; yet, modern attitudes have changed towards snakes particularly under the emphasis of the ecological movements that stress out the importance of these creatures for the balance of ecosystems. And they couldn’t be more right.
There are many aspects in the life of snakes that fascinate scientists and indicate that not everything has been discovered about the many existing species. Thus, it is interesting to study how the patterns on the body of snakes differentiate between individuals even within the same species. Then, snakes’ sensitivity to vibrations, the incredible sense of smell and even the perception of low frequency sounds make them pretty out of the ordinary. Infrared sensitivity and the ability to detect body warmth from the distance, causes further awe among snakes researchers.
Common habitats for humans and snakes are a reality, and people from areas with a higher variety of snake species and sub-species develop skills to distinguish between the dangerous or harmless varieties, and thus avoid them accordingly. Non-venomous snakes could also bite and injure one seriously when sensing danger, therefore, a healthy attitude towards such animals will save you a lot of trouble. Do not attempt to catch, hunt or kill snakes: they will never come after you for the sake of just biting. Be extremely cautious when keeping snakes as pets.
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