Tag: a snake charmer's story

No variety of snakes are found on the Ireland. It is because during the last ice age, the whole of Ireland and mainland  was permanently covered with snow and ice. It is highly unlikely that any wildlife, which might have been in Ireland before this ice age, survived this period. When the climate warmed up again, snakes would have been able to recolonise Britain from the south, in any case there were land bridges to the continent from time to time. They would not, however, unless deliberately transported, be able to reestablish themselves in Ireland.

Venomous snakes are capable of injecting venom by their bite. They use venom for defense and killing prey. Viper and Kobra are examples of venomous snakes.

• Snakes are carnivorous. Snakes do not have the right kind of teeth to chew their food so they eat their catch whole. Their jaw is structured in such a way that it allows the mouth to open wider than their own body in order to swallow their prey whole.

Snakes possess split tongue. It is thought to be advantageous because it allows the snake to smell in three dimensions. Since the two tips pick up odors from slightly different locations in space, the snake can detect the direction of the source of the smell.

Mangoose are immune to the snake venom. It is because the acetylcholine receptors of mangoose render them resistant or immune to snake venom primarily composed of neurotoxin. Due to this the snake's venom fails to react the way it normally does to animals who are not immune to the venom.

The scaly skin of snakes plays a lot of different functions. Snakes are food for animals like eagles, hawks or foxes and to protect themselves from these animals, snakes have scales. These scales are thick and prickly, which makes it difficult for animals to bite or injure them. Other than protection from animals, scales also protect snakes from harmful sun rays and decreases water loss. Hence, scales protect snakes from dying due to multiple reasons.

Fangs are modified teeth present in the upper jaw. They store and inject the venom when the snake bites.