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Q What is the world's most venomous snake

00:00 Wed 11th Apr 2001 |

A. The most venomous snake is the Sea Snake (Hydrophus Belcheri).�This snakes' venom is said to be 100 times more powerful than that of any other land or sea snake. The adder is Britain's most venomous snake. About 15% of all snake species produce venom that can be seriously harmful or fatal to humans.

Q. How long do snakes live for

A. These reptiles�have been known to live for�more than 30 years, but in captivity they normally live for about 15 years.

Q. How many species of snake are there

A. There are 2,267 known species of snake, however, Herpetologists - people who study snakes - believe that there could be many more as yet undiscovered species.

Q. Where do they live

A. Snakes can be found living in the wild�in most parts of the world, but the majority live in the tropics. Snakes can not survive in freezing conditions.

Q. What do snakes eat

A. Most snakes survive on birds, fish, frogs, lizards, rabbits and other small mammals. Some snakes even eat other snakes.

Q. Do other animals eat snakes

A. Large birds, mongoose and pigs are quite partial to the odd bit of snake. Snake meat is also eaten by humans in some parts of the world.

Q. What is the world's largest species of snake

A. The largest snakes in the world come from the Boidae family, this includes the Boa Constrictor and the Python. These snakes can grow to over nine metres.

Q. And the smallest

A. The smallest snake is the Braminy blind snake. It lives�in the tropics and grows to only 6 inches.

Q. Any other obscure snake facts I should know

  • Female snakes are generally larger than male snakes.
  • Snakes can travel between three and five miles an hour.
  • Snakes shed their whole outer skin in one piece. Some species shed their skin every three weeks, others do it only once a year. They simply crawl out of their old skin, turning it inside out in the process.
  • Snakes are cold blooded creatures, so their bodies temperature is about the same as their environments.
  • Snakes have no eyelids, so their eyes are constantly open.
  • Snakes are thought to have developed from lizards about 100 million years ago.
  • Snakes can swallow animals that weigh more than 100 pounds, it can take up to half an hour for a snake to swallow a whole animal.
  • Snakes can digest their prey in its entirety, except for feathers and hair.

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By Anna Tobin

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