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INTRODUCTION
Snakes
Snake (reptile), common name for any reptile belonging to the suborder Serpentes. The body is greatly elongated and most often cylindrical, but the sea snakes and many tree-dwelling snakes have bodies that are flattened laterally. Snakes lack external limbs, although a few still retain tiny remnants of hind legs, the tips of which are visible in large boas and pythons at the base of the tail. The body is covered with scales of a horny epidermal material, arranged in regular rows and usually overlapping, like tiles on a roof. The scales located on the back and sides are characteristically smaller than those on the top of the head and along the ventral (under) surface. The scales on the dorsal (upper) surface of the snake may be smooth or may bear a long raised ridge or keel; other scale modifications may include small knobs and tiny pits. The skin and outer covering of the horny scales are shed periodically and usually in one piece, including the hard, transparent covering of the eye known as the spectacle; snakes lack movable eyelids, and the spectacle protects the constantly open eyes. The frequency of shedding varies with different species and within a species, according to the size and age of the individual. Young, rapidly growing snakes shed their skins more frequently than the slow-growing adults. In some species the skin is shed approximately every 20 days; in others it is shed only once a year. |
Related Articles (5)
1.Family Boidae
2.Family Colubridae
3.Family Elapidae
4.Family Hydrophiidae
5.Family Viperidae
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