Snakes are carnivores, which means they only eat other animals. Their diet consists mostly of rodents, such as mice and rats. Though very small snakes often eat insects and very large ones can eat any meat they can kill. 19. Smell vs sight

The hope is eventually these could lead to drugs that can be easily stored and carried in first-aid kits as a way of reducing the potency of snake venom to buy victims some time. The California kingsnake is another kingsnake species, like the scarlet kingsnake listed above. It’s one of the most common snakes kept as pets, and its small size plays a part in that.Bindumadhav's ambitions are greater still. He wants to make the entire district around the village free from snake bite deaths. "We are starting with a village," he says. "But we hope to scale it out to other districts. Snakes are misunderstood creatures – there is no reason anyone has to die from them."

Every morning we find the snakes, look at what habitat they are in, whether they are shedding their skin or have just fed," he says. "We are looking at how close they are to where people are working, where they are moving. It is giving us a lot more accurate information that we need to help tell people how to avoid and respect the snakes." They are found from North Carolina in the southeastern United States to Florida in the south and Texas in the west. Whereas the smooth green snake only reaches around 20 inches, the rough green snake is much longer. This snake will grow up to 116cm/46in. But according to Animal Diversity , females will reach 95cm/37in, and males will reach 89cm/35in on average. It tends to be the lowest strata of society who are getting bitten in the countries with the highest number of snake bites," says Bindumadhav. "It is farmers and labourers rather than politicians and business leaders who are being bitten." This means the problem is largely overlooked. The woma python is a great pet for beginners. They are not venomous, so if they bite, it will be harmless.

Venemos undergo metamorphosis, transforming into moths or butterflies after completing their larval stage. Many people in rural parts of India are walking around in the dark without footwear," says Sumanth Bindumadhav, senior manager of the wildlife, disaster response and Dharwad program at the Humane Society International in India. "Over 90% of bites occur when people step on a snake without even seeing them."

Snakes use their sense of smell to find their prey, as they do not have eyesight that is very strong. Much of this sense of smell comes from their tongues tasting chemicals in the air. 20. After a heavy meal The anthill python, or the pygmy python, is the first python in this list. Its name gives away the fact that it’s small for a python, although like all pythons, it’s a heavy-bodied snake. This species is the smallest member of the python family, and is often found on anthills and termite mounds. Baby snakes are called “hatchlings,” and in most species are 6-12 inches in length and born with their eyes already open. Many have distinctive features, such as the copperhead hatchlings that have a bright yellow tail that fades away after a year or so. 52. Rattle snakes They typically live in tropical climates found in Central America, South-North America, and southwestern South America. Sometimes they go away, sometimes we end up getting bit," says 48-year-old Rao about the snakes they encounter when working in the fields. Most villagers are scared of the snakes, he says and usually run away when they come across one in the field.These snakes are not venomous and cruel, which makes them a great choice for small children. 10. Cape House Snake The Bimini blind snake, also known as the Brahminy blind snake, is similar to the Barbados thread snake. You may also know it by the names of common blind snake, island blind snake, Hawaiian blind snake or flowerpot snake. It was indigenous to Africa, but has been introduced to the Americas. We are a charity and we rely on your support. No matter the size, every gift to the Museum is critical to our 300 scientists' work in understanding and protecting the natural world. But she adds that many of these small molecule drug treatments have yet to be proved in clinical settings. And they too could suffer from the same economic pitfalls as antivenom unless efforts are taken to keep prices low. Instead, Boyer is more excited about innovations that are taking place outside of the laboratory to keep people safe from snake bites.

But Bindumadhav says there are other challenges. "There is still a tendency for some bite victims to be taken to a faith healer rather than to hospital," says Bindumadhav. "The Russell's viper doesn't always inject venom when it bites – these are dry bites but the panic they cause can lead to psychological symptoms instead. Then they appear to get better after a trip to the healer. Unfortunately, in those cases where venom is injected, it means their treatment is delayed." Though they are not commonly thought of as suitable pets for families with young children or those who cannot commit themselves fully to caring for this type of animal, pythons can make good pets. The average lifespan of a snake is 10-12 years, but some species can live up to 20 years or more. 17. Except Antarctica Solitary snakes will only entertain companions during mating. Males may engage in ritual combat or perform a courtship dance. Most females leave their eggs since young snakes can hunt on instinct soon after hatching. King cobras, pythons, and a few other species are the exceptions. They stay close to the nest to protect their eggs. 6. What is the purpose of scales on a snake’s body?If you are thinking about getting a pet snake for the first time, Kenyan Sand Boa is the best choice because they are intelligent and easy to keep. They only need to eat every 5-10 days and they have virtually no odor or harmful bites.