Snakes are ecthothermic (cold-blooded) creatures covered in overlapping scales. they're under the phylum CHORDATA, class REPTILIA, order SQUAMATA and sub-order SERPENTES. they are notable for their slippery nature and resounding hiss.

these remarkable creatures are present on every continent in the world asides Antarctica and that is due to the fact that snakes cannot survive in places where the ground is frozen year round. They, however, live almost everywhere, in deserts, forests, oceans, streams, and lakes.

As at 25th January, 2019, there are over 3000 species of snakes in the world (as reported). About 600 of these species are venomous, and only 200 (seven percent) are able to kill or significantly wound a human. this points out the fallacy that all snakes are venomous or dangerous

regardless of the fact that non-venomous snakes exist, they're still capable of defending themselves and this is done via dispatching their victims by swallowing them alive or constricting them to death. this brought about the name of the famous "boa constrictors"

myth has it that snakes have noses which they use in smelling their surroundings but science has proven that they don't infact possess noses. however, they posses forked tongues which are used to smell their surroundings by flicking in different directions.

The rumored "nose" is however a pithole which is used in sensing the heat given off by their warm-blooded prey. bones in their lower Jaws also pick up vibrations whenever rodents or scurrying animals like cats and the likes are around.

Snakes are very capable of eating up to three times their head size which means even an anaconda is capable of eating an almost fully grown lion, if incapacitated.

Snakes goes through the process of ecdysis which allows for the shedding of skin to enable growth and ward off parasites.

NOT ALL SNAKES LAY EGGS. sea snakes and a few others are notable for giving birth live. pythons also lay eggs, but unlike others, they tend to incubate their eggs

THERE ARE ROUGHLY A HUNDRED SPECIES OF SNAKES LISTED BY THE IUCN RED LIST AS ENDANGERED SPECIES. SO PLEASE, SAVE MOTHER NATURE

the general misconception is that snakes attack unprovoked. FALSE. snakes only attack when they feel threatened or provoked. snakes, like every rationale creature, won't attack a human ten times it's size unless it feels the creature wants to attack it. this is the reason why-

when snakes attack, it's always "bite and retreat". they never bite and stay because the biting was a "defense mechanism" Snakes are more afraid of us than we are of them. They are generally docile and shy creatures and if given a choice, a snake will flee as fast as possible-

rather than risk getting injured by striking something 10 or 20 times larger than them and wasting precious venom. Unless cornered or threatened, like any other living thing, snakes will strike to protect itself.

BRIGHT COLOURED SNAKES AREN'T ALL Venomous. Some snakes have bright colours to warn off predators while others have patterned scales to help them camouflage and blend with the environment for protection. However, not all bright-coloured snakes are venomous.

Colours portrayed are more for helping to differentiate between male and female. For example, the Monocled Cobra is solid black or brown and the Siamese Pit-Vipers can be plain green but both are very venomous. However, the brightly-coloured Twin-barred Flying Snake is harmless

now, if a snake bites you, there are certain things one is meant to do to prevent more damage being done to one's health (death inclusive).
1: Stay calm because there's a possibility the snake bite might not be venomous. being calm by reducing your heart rate helps reduce the-

spread of the venom.
2: if possible, try to identify the type of snake. this is to help identify what anti- venom would be administered
3: Wrap the affected area with a pressure bandage to slow blood flow but not totally restricting the flow as it could damage the limb

4: Take the victim to the nearest hospital so that an anti-venom can be administered.

NOTE: it's not advisable to try sucking the venom out of the wound with your mouth. even though ingesting it might not be harmful. it however would be if you have an open wound in your mouth.

the common non-venomous intruder is the Common Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus) while venomous home intruders are usually the cobra, which will hood up when disturbed, making it easy to identify.

I'd continue later when I can

if ever interested in starting to be comfortable around snakes, best advice is to start with an "egg head snake". they're the most harmless snakes alive. they're fairly slender and they feed exclusively on bird eggs and nothing more. they also don't possess fangs

like humans and other creatures, snakes also have the medical condition called "albinism". here's an excerpt

there are also two-headed snakes. not all species have been seen to have them but about 15 different species have been identified to posses these anomalies.