Did you know that animals, insects, and reptiles living on this earth are more than the number of humans sharing the same space? It is believed that every year, about 10,000 new species of animals are discovered. But we are aware of only a few types of species we get to see in a zoo or a national park. Of all the species we encounter in our daily lives, snakes are considered to be most dangerous and harmful. These reptiles are deadly because of the poisonous venom that they carry in their fangs. But not all snakes inject venom, there are also species of snakes that are not poisonous. Having said that, you would also be surprised to know that there are more than 3,000 species of snakes alone in this world, and only 725 of them are known to be venomous and harmful to humans. There are umpteen such interesting facts about snakes which will leave you amazed.

1. A snake is considered most dangerous depending on the availability of anti-venom and medical aid following its bite. On this basis, the most dangerous snake is the saw-scaled viper. Also known as the top most venomous snakes in the world are the inland Taipan snake, the coastal Taipan snake, the tiger snake, the eastern brown snake and the black tiger snake.
2. The Anaconda is known to be the heaviest snake in the world weighing over 595 pounds (270 kg). It can grow to over 33 feet long and can eat great beasts like capybaras, jaguars, and caimans, and also humans!!
3. Naturalist Paul Rosolie experimented with the anaconda and is known to be the first person who got swallowed by an anaconda and survived. He attempted this feat wearing a specially designed carbon fiber suit equipped with a breathing system, cameras, and a communication system, in order to capture the entire process. He called off the stunt when he felt he would get killed as the anaconda tightened its grip.
4. We all know about the crawling snakes, but did you know that there also exist five recognized species of flying snakes? The paradise tree snake, which is among the smaller flying snakes grows up to 4 feet and can glide up to 330 feet through the air.
5. Unlike other species and animals, snakes need comparatively lesser food to remain healthy. They can survive in good health with about 6-30 meals a year. The amount of food a snake eats can determine the number of offspring it will have. The Arafura file snake eats the least of all the kinds of snakes and lays only one egg every decade.
6. Snakes are also great swimmers. Sea snakes can dive over 300 feet into the ocean with help of their paddle-shaped tails.
7. Just like conjoined twins in humans, there are also two-headed snakes which are rarely found and they also rarely survive as the two heads have duplicate senses and they fight over food and sometimes end-up one head eating the other.
8. The end of a snake’s tongue is forked and this lets the two tips taste different amounts of chemicals. It identifies smells on its tongue using pits in the roof of its mouth, called Jacobson’s organ. Snakes are good at tracing smells and can also tell which direction the smell is coming from.
9. The deadly fangs of a snake usually last about 6-10 weeks only. When worn out, a new fang grows in its place. The Gaboon viper is known to have the longest fangs which are about 2 inches (5 cm) long.
10. Over 40,000 people die every year reportedly due to Snake bites. It could be over 100,000 deaths if we include the unreported incidents as well. Shockingly, about half of these deaths occur in India alone.

These deadly snakes are not just breathtakingly dangerous but are also very intriguing, with many hidden facts about their types and features. There are yet many more such interesting facts about these hissing reptiles that you would be fascinated to know. Just search over the internet to know more such facts.

Image Courtesy: www.channelguidemag.com, africanstockshots.com, www.news.com.au, snake tongue, Pinterest, Factslides, Smashing Lists

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