The Official Site of the CHAGUARAMAS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies

Snakes do not sting , Snakes bite.

Snakes have no urinary bladder.

Snakes have sebaceous glands known as the Harderian or Harder's gland. This gland is associated with the eye and secretes an oily fluid that serves to lubricate the nictitating membrane.

In secretions of the Harder's gland contribute to saliva, thus facilitating lubrication of captured prey before swallowing.

The heart of the snake is three chambered.

The left lobe of the lungs is smaller than the right or is altogether absent.

As a snake moves, it flicks its forked tongue rapidly in and out . It is actually picking up chemical particles from the air and the ground. When the snake withdraws its tongue, it passes these particles from the air into a "smelling" organ called the Jacobson's organ.

Before the snake sheds its skin, the eyes appear milky. This is because the dead skin is separated from the living skin underneath it. Snakes shed their skin in one piece. The skin starts to peel off the head, it then turns inside out until the skin is completely separated form the rest of the snake.

Lacking teeth, snakes must swallow their meal whole, and  since the dinner is often several times the girth of the dinner, the snakes must make some allowances for the victims different sizes, snakes have an unusual design of their jaws, allowing them to swallow huge prey.

Constrictive snakes wind themselves around the prey tightening their coils until their prey no longer breathes.

SNAKES move in (4) Four ways:-

CONCERTINA - The Snake bunches it's body up, gripping the ground under its head. it then throws its head forward gripping with it's tail.

SERPENTINE - The Snake throws its body into sideways waves, pressing against bumps and stones in the ground.

SIDE-WINDING - A few snakes use this method for moving over sand. The Snake rapidly pushes its body to the side and gradually moves forward as he pushes itself.

 TRACTION -  Some snakes crawl in a straight line. They use the broad scales on the underside to drag themselves along.