Snakes and Snake Removal

Snakes have a tendency to elicit one of two emotions from humans - we're either amazed by them or, more commonly, deathly afraid of them. While snakes have the ability to strike fear into many humans, they happen to have a good amount of predators out in the wild. Among others, raccoons, coyotes, feral hogs, large birds, and other species of snakes are known enemies of the snake. They also fall victim to losing their homes and natural habitat due to construction and urban development.

Even though snakes have proven to be very flexible, their bodies are most certainly made up of bones - lots of them. The backbone of a snake consists of multiple vertebrae that are attached to ribs spanning the entire body. While humans have about 33 vertebrae, snakes have up to 400, which lends to their intense flexibility. As most of us have seen, snakes are able to swallow and digest animals and food much larger than their own bodies. The throat of a snake stretches from the mouth to about one third of the way down the body, with an elongated stomach following. Both the throat and stomach are able to stretch to much greater sizes to accommodate what the snake is eating. The mouth of a snake contains teeth - with most snakes boasting over 200 of them. The teeth actually point backward, allowing the snake to hold their prey in place while their throat and stomach stretch out. Because the teeth face backward, snakes are not able to chew with them, but biting is definitely still an option. 

For information specifically on venomous snakes, the below resources are available:
Venomous snakes of Florida
Venomous snakes of South Carolina (coming soon)

Another amazing resource is the Reptile Discovery Center, located in Deland, FL. To visit their website, click here.

It is estimated that there are about 2,700 different species of snakes in existence. Pythons and Boas are the largest snakes in the world and can grow up to 30 feet in length. While the thought of huge snakes certainly increases the amount of fear most humans have toward them, it's important to remember that some venomous snakes are as small and skinny as a pencil, yet contain venom that is just as deadly. Black Mamba's are reported to be the fastest moving snake reaching speeds of up to 19 miles per hour. Some species of snakes reproduce by giving birth and others lay eggs.

An interesting fact about snakes is that they are completely deaf; however, this does not mean you can sneak up on them. Snakes have jaws that can detect even the slightest vibrations from far away distances. Snakes do not have eyelids. Rather, their eyes are protected by a transparent scale.