- Some snakes can fly. They can glide
through the air for up to 20m (60 ft)
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- There is a snake smaller than a pencil.
It lives on islands in the Caribbean Sea. It is so slender that
it could take the place of the lead in a pencil.
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- The most poisonous snakes live in Australia.
A bite from the Australian taipan can kill a person in a few
minutes.
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- The poisonous fangs of the Gaboon vipers
in tropical Africa can be up to 5cm (2 in) long.
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- Oldest - Boa - 40 years 104 days
Heaviest - Anaconda - 227kg (500 lb)
Shortest - Thread snake - 10.8cm (4.25 in)
Fastest - Black Mamba - 16-19km/h (10-12 mph)
Longest Fangs - Gaboon Viper - 5cm (2 in)
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- The largest snakes are the Anacondas
of South America and the reticulated python from South East Asia.
Both can grow nearly 9m (30 ft) long.
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- There are about 2000 species of snake
in the world and none of them have proper ears. They can't hear
sounds as we hear them. Instead, they rely on vibrations through
the ground, which are sensed through a delicate organ at the
base of a snake's jaw. When the snake charmer pretends to lull
the snake with his music, the snake can't hear him. The snake
sways to keep its eyes on the man who is also swaying, and the
snake feels the vibrations of the man's foot tapping on the ground
or against the basket.
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- Several times each year snakes shed
their old skin. A brand new one has grown underneath.
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- Snakes are not slimy, they have scales
that cover their body which makes them look wet and shiny, but
in fact they are dry when you touch them.
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- The Sinaloan milk snake has striking
coloration which also comes in handy as a safety device. Luckily,
it looks very like the highly poisonous coral snake, so many
predators are put off eating this harmless lookalike.
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A snake's jaws are joined by loose
ligaments. One reticulated python even managed to swallow a bear
weighing 91kg (200 lb)
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- You can feed a grass snake from your
hand.
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- About 700 of the world's 3200 snake
species are venomous and they include, several that can kill
humans. One of the biggest killers of humans is the Saw-scaled
viper of Africa and India. Its poison causes more than 10 000
deaths a year. About 30% of people bitten by it die.
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