25 Snake Facts For Kids

1. Snake is the common name for a large group of elongated, limbless reptilians in the Serpentes order.
2. Paleontologists have evidence that suggests snakes first started to appear between 143 and 167 million years ago
3. Snakes can be found on every worldwide and on every continent, except Antarctica.
4. Snakes have adapted to habitats from the frigid Arctic Circle to the hot dry deserts in Australia.
5. Snakes are carnivorous reptiles and only eat meat.
6. The diet of a snake varies by species and size, but can include amphibians, birds, eggs, insects, small mammals, and small reptiles.
7. Snakes do not chew their prey; they swallow it whole and digest it
8. Snakes using either constriction, venom, or a combination of both to catch and eat their prey.
9. The emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) is an example of a snake species that uses constriction to kill its prey
10. The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is an example of a snake species that uses venom to kill its prey.
11. There are more than 3,900 living species of snakes and there are hundreds to thousands more that haven’t been discovered yet.
12. The 3,900 snake species are divided among 520 different genera.
13. Snake species can in a wide range of sizes and colors.
14. Snakes have a length range between 3 inches and 22 feet.
15. The largest snake is the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) with a range between 4 and 22 feet.
16. The smallest snake is the Barbados threadsnake (Tetracheilostoma carlae) with a range between 3 and 4 inches.
17. The fastest snake on land is the sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) which can travel up to 18 miles per hour.
18. The fastest snake in the water is the yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis platurus) that can swim 3 feet per second.
19. The most venomous snake is the western taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotu) which has enough potent venom in a single bite to kill 100 adult humans.
20. The largest snake to ever live was the Titanoboa (Titanoboa cerrejonensis), a now extinct species that had a length of up to 47 feet and roamed Earth around 59 million years ago.
21. There are some snake species that can fly, well technically glide, from tree to tree.
22. The paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) is an example of a snake species that can fly (glide).
23. As snakes grow larger, they need to shed their skin and do so around 3 to 5 times a year.
24. The field of study that covers snakes is called Herpetology and a person who studies snakes is called a Herpetologist.
25. A person with an irrational fear of snakes suffers from a phobia called ophidiophobia.

Snake Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on snakes. Below are six pictures of various snake species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of snakes found around the world.

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