Happy Serpent Day! 🐍
There are over 3,000 snake species, hailing from all continents except Antarctica! They are all limbless and ectothermic (“cold-blooded”), which means they use their environment to regulate their body temperature. A long, forked tongue is used to pick up chemicals in the air for analysis, similar to how we use our nose! Snakes also navigate the world by feeling vibrations, and some species use heat pits on their lips to detect heat signatures from their prey. Snakes are all carnivores and are divided into constrictors (those that squeeze their prey) and venomous snakes (those that use venom).
(📷 Rango the Hog Island Boa by Zookeeper Hailey)
