Snakes are very interesting animals!

Snakes are very interesting animals!

What animals slither, climb, swim, and hiss?  Snakes! These interesting animals are reptiles. This means they are cold blooded and must raise their body temperature by lying in the sun. They live on the ground, in trees, and in the water.

There are no ‘bad snakes’ or ‘good snakes.’  Instead, think of them as venomous or non-venomous. Snakes that are venomous use their poison to help catch other animals that they eat.  There are 38 species of snakes found in South Carolina and, only 5 are venomous!

Snakes also help stop diseases. Garden snakes love to eat ticks, which helps stop Lyme disease from spreading. If they eat an infected mouse, they digest the whole thing – including the disease!

rat snake Thad.jpg

Yellow rat snake in Brookgreen's Lowcountry Zoo.

Corn snake Cher.jpg

Corn snake (red rat snake) at Brookgreen's Lowcountry Zoo.

Fun facts about snakes!

• Snakes smell with their tongue.
• A snake’s skin is smooth and dry, not slimy.
• Snakes don’t have eye lids.
• Snakes have internal ears. (Wouldn’t they look funny with ears on their heads?)
• There are around 3,000 different species of snakes.
• Snakes can shed their skin several times a year. Just like you outgrow your clothes, they outgrow their skin.
• Snakes eat meat, so they are called carnivores.

Make a fun snake mobile!

paper plate snake craft.jpg

Get a paper plate and draw a spiral out from the center.

Color your plate front and back. This can be done in different colors. Also draw a face on your snake in the center of the spiral.

Carefully cut out your spiral snake.

snake craft.jpg