Information about snakes

Snakes have been on this planet for many millions of years. The first fossils found suggest that they have been with us for about 130 million years, since the Cretaceous period. This is when the snake species is believed to have diverged from other reptiles, namely lizards, and became a unique species. However, the evidence is not entirely faulty as the small bones of such creatures are easily destroyed or dispersed over time.

Some of the really early finds place the origin of the ancestors of snakes and lizards in the Triassic period, when dinosaurs first roamed the earth some 200 million years or more ago. Early evidence of snakes, fossils, shows them as stocky, short, and heavy creatures, which most likely burrowed and lived out of sight underground. Over time, their abilities to see and hear diminished as they evolved to adapt to the environment in which they lived.

The link between lizards and snakes is mostly based on theory, as indisputable evidence from the earliest fossils is lacking. However, they do share some unique characteristics that are central to the reptile family. Snakes and their reptilian relatives fall somewhere between mammals and fish. It is commonly believed among scientists that snakes evolved from a type of primitive burrowing lizard that fed on subterranean creatures and avoided contact with larger predators above ground. This evolution of life has resulted in the eyes developing special protective coverings and the ears losing their knobs and becoming little more than little holes on the sides. It has also forced the snake to develop the ability to detect sound through vibrations and a keen sense of smell and touch.

The snake and lizard of today have little evidence of links to the past. In fact, the amphisbaene, a kind of worm like lizard with no legs, was once thought to be the missing link and was in fact a lizard in the process of evolving into a snake. However, research has shown that this creature has evolved separately from snakes and lizards, so it does not represent any kind of evolutionary link.

There are 11 families of snakes and this is divided into 354 genera or subgroups. In total, there are believed to be around 3,000 species of snakes roaming our earth today. Snakes form one of the 4 groups of reptiles known as the Squamata, this also includes lizards and amphisbaens. The Squamata subspecies of snake is called Serpentes, taken from the Latin serpens, meaning crawling animal or snake. Hence the term Serpents, which has come to mean a snake-like creature.

There are snakes spread all over the planet, but most of them are concentrated in the warmer climates and their sizes and populations are noticeably larger as the climate improves. By contrast, cooler, high-altitude climates experience smaller snakes and reduced numbers. This is because snakes are cold-blooded and their activity is proportional to the warmth of the climate in which they live.

Despite these environmental challenges, remarkably, snakes have populated a very high percentage of the earth’s surface.

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