Hello and welcome! To All About Snakes with Safari Sam! In honor of today, July 16th, being #worldsnakeday, here’s an educational thread about sssneaky lil sneks

First, I wanna bust some snake myths. It’s a common misconception that snakes are s l i m y, but as a reptile with smooths scales, they are anything but! Our salamander friends on the other hand... quite slimy

Another sort of myth: poisonous vs venomous

When I’m using them as an educational tool to teach and show the public, a lot of people ask if the particular snake I’m holding is poisonous. Snakes aren’t poisonous, but some do have venom! (But not the ones I hold)

You ever stare at a snake for a really long time and wonder why that snake has engaged you in a staring contest? Well that’s a staring contest that you will not win! Snakes don’t have eyelids and therefore cannot blink or close their eyes when they sleep.

Did you know, only about a third (1/3) of snakes are venomous. And, venomous or not, a snake is not going to bother you unless you bother it. It will usually deliver some kind of warning sign if you get too close. #leavewildlifewild

Some snakes are ambush predators, meaning they sit and wait for their prey, and some actively hunt. Doris here, being a large snake (ground boa) is more of the “sit and wait” kinda gal

Snakes swallow their prey whole. They can either snatch their prey and paralyze it with venom, or snatch it and slowly kill it by constricting it. They can up to 20% of their body size and can unhinge their jaw to do so!

How do you communicate? Most of us do it by talking, sometimes touching and dancing like some other animals. Snakes, communicate by smelling! If you’ve ever seen a snake stick their tongue out, they’re actually using that tongue to smell what’s around them

Snakes have two penises! And females typically get much larger than males in overall body size

Snakes usually only eat at least once every two weeks, sometimes going months w/o eating. They are great to have around bc they keep rodent populations in check. On average, ONE snake can eat around 520 rodents, keeping humans safe from a rodent/disease problem

An ecosystem is like a chain. With one link missing, a chain no longer works how it’s supposed to and there’s different pieces no longer connected. Snakes are an important link to the ecosystem chain.

I hope you enjoyed &learned something new about snakes! Happy #WorldSnakeDay!