Corn snakes, like many colubrid snakes, are not venomous because they lack the specialized glands and fangs required for venom production and delivery. Instead, they are constrictors, which means they subdue their prey through constriction rather than venom injection. Corn snakes have powerful muscles and flexible bodies that can overpower their game.
A corn snake detects potential prey by using its keen sense of smell and flicking its tongue to pick up scent particles in the air. When the time is right, the corn snake strikes, seizing the prey with its sharp teeth and coiling its body around it. They then swallow their prey whole, usually head first.
The illegal pet trade has a devastating impact on the ecosystem. One of its consequences has been the unregulated spread of the red rat snake beyond its native habitats in North America, enabling it to establish new colonies in different regions.
In Australia, the corn snake is listed as an invasive species. The species appears to thrive despite capturing 79 of them between 2002 and 20141.
The dense jungles of South America have lush vegetation, bursting rivers, and marshlands. Within their depths live hulking creatures such as the Anaconda, one of the world's longest snakes (the green Anaconda is the longest).
The Anaconda can remain submerged for up to ten minutes and patiently wait for its prey to come close.
Rather than expending energy, the Anaconda prefers to wait and ambush fish, birds, tapirs, and wild pigs, and it can go without food for months to a year due to its slow metabolism.
When it does eat, it constricts its prey’s body to kill it and aid digestion.
Despite their intimidating appearance, anacondas prefer to avoid confrontation unless provoked.
The Ball Python lives in sub-Saharan Africa's grasslands, savannas, and lightly wooded areas. Despite its name, these African pythons grow to a modest length of 3-5 feet, with females generally larger than males.
This type of snake uses its constricting ability to overpower prey despite its smaller size. Its name comes from its defense mechanism of coiling itself into a tight ball, protecting its head at the center.
During twilight hours in Africa, the Ball Python emerges and becomes active, hunting small mammals and birds using their heat-sensitive pits along their lip-line to detect prey.
Female Ball Pythons protect their 3-11 egg clutch by coiling around them1, generating heat through muscular contractions until they hatch.
Even with its name, the snake does not have black scales. Its coloration ranges from brown to olive, with a lighter underbelly providing contrast.
The term "black" only applies to the dark color of the snake's mouth, which it exposes when it feels threatened.
Moreover, the Black Mamba lives in sub-Saharan Africa and can thrive in various habitats such as savannas, woodlands, rocky slopes, and dense forests.
These types of snakes are also Africa's longest venomous snakes and the world’s second-longest, reaching up to 14 feet long.
Likewise, it can move at 12.5 miles per hour; its speed and venom make it a skilled predator that primarily feeds on small mammals and birds.
Boa Constrictors are massive, with some specimens growing up to 13 feet long. They live in Central and South America, and their colors range from brown and grey to cream.
This famous snake species lives in arid deserts, dense forests, and savannas. To identify them, they have a pattern of saddles and bands that help them blend into their surroundings.
At night, they become relentless hunters, constricting and suffocating their prey. Their diet comprises small to medium mammals and various birds; their slow metabolism helps them survive between meals.
Boa Constrictors give birth to 60 live younglings at a time, a deviation from the reptilian norm of laying eggs.
The Burmese Python lives in the swamplands and forests of Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest snakes in the world. Its skin is characterized by a mosaic of browns with dark blotches, bordered by cream or gold.
As a predator, this snake preys on small mammals and birds, but it has also been known to tackle larger animals such as goats or pigs.
Its hunting technique involves seizing the prey with its sharp rear teeth and coiling its muscular body around it to suffocate it2.
In addition to its impressive hunting skills, the Burmese Python can remain submerged for up to 30 minutes before emerging for a quick breath.
During the day, this species stays hidden in a cozy and dim environment, only emerging at night.
Curiously, pythons have vestigial limbs called anal spurs, unlike other modern snakes. They are also one of the very few snakes that incubate their eggs.
The Bushmaster is a venomous snake living in the rainforests of Central and South America. It is one of the world’s longest snakes, with some individuals measuring over 12 feet, snaking across the dense undergrowth of the rainforest.
The Bushmaster has a scalation pattern ranging from 23 to 37 rows of keeled dorsal scales wrapped around it. These scales allow the snake to blend seamlessly into its forest environment.
As one of the world's pit vipers, the Bushmaster possesses heat-sensing pits between its eyes and nostrils, allowing the nocturnal snake to track prey in the dark.
Small mammals and birds comprise the Bushmaster's primary diet, and the snake employs a surprise attack strategy. It lays motionless in wait before striking with unexpected speed.
The Bushmaster also uses a unique hunting gimmick called "caudal luring," where it wriggles its tail to imitate a worm, drawing unsuspecting prey closer.
The venom of this type of snake is a potent blend of neurotoxins and hemotoxins that can kill humans. However, it prefers to save its venom for prey, resorting to aggression toward humans only when it feels threatened.
The Corn Snake has a distinctive reddish-orange, brown, and gray pattern resembling kernels of Indian maize. Likewise, black-bordered red splotches on their back and sides contrast sharply against their vibrant colors.
These types of snakes are skilled climbers who often explore the treetops, though they prefer the ground as their natural habitat. They also help balance the ecosystem by controlling potential rodent problems.
Corn Snakes become less active during winter but do not enter a complete dormancy like certain snake species. Like most snake species, they emerge at night but can appear unexpectedly during the daytime if the temperature is cool enough.
The Cottonmouth is a semi-aquatic venomous snake often found in marshy bogs or near the river's edge, basking in the sun.
Moreover, it is a silent predator that is always on the hunt. Its heat-sensing pits between its eyes and nostrils help guide it to its warm-blooded prey, including rodents, birds, and other snakes.
Male Cottonmouths perform an intricate dance display during the breeding season to attract mates. Moreover, this type of snake is viviparous and gives birth to live young.
In the wild, the Cottonmouth can live up to 15 years; in captivity, this can extend to 24 years.
