The intelligence of animals can vary greatly, from the simpler creatures which are driven purely by instinct, to the highly intelligent great apes which are capable of critical thinking and reasoning skills.

So what about snakes? Are snakes intelligent?

For the most part, no they are not. Having only a reptilian brain, snakes lack the parts of the brain which allow organisms such as us to think the way we do.

Snakes are driven almost purely by instinct, and are not capable of higher forms of thinking. They seek only the most basic of survival needs, such as food and reproduction.

Some animals, such as mammals, regulate their body temperature through the use of internally generated heat, while other types of animals cannot produce their own heat internally and must get it fro an outside source. These two types of animals are most often referred to as “warm-blooded” and “cold-blooded,” respectively. While often incorrectly thought of as the same thing as warm or cold blooded, the classifications of endothermic and ectothermic are actually slightly different.

Being either endothermic or ectothermic is only part of what makes an animal warm blooded or cold blooded, along with factors such as the range of internal temperatures that an organism can function at, as well as the ability, or inability, to alter metabolic rate in response to temperature variables.

We humans are considered both endothermic and warm-blooded, as with all mammals. But what about snakes? Are snakes endothermic or ectothermic?

The truth is that all snakes are considered ectothermic, as well as cold-blooded. A snake does not have the thermophysiology necessary in order to internally regulate its’ body temperature. This means that snakes must get their body heat from external sources such as the sun.

In fact, it is common and essentially necessary for pet snakes to have a “heating rock” in their tank; an electronically warmed rock for the snake to warm itself on. Without such a device, the snake’s body temperature could drop too low and it could potentially die from it.

Have you ever tried to walk up to a snake in the wild, only to have it immediately slither away? If you have, then it’s easy to believe that the snake heard you approaching and, as a result, made a hasty retreat. However, this is only partially true. Snakes do not hear in the same way that we understand the sense.

Most other reptiles possess an eardrum an an inner ear structure that allows them to hear much the same way that humans and other animals do. However, snakes do not have this feature. According to some evolutionary experts, this is because snakes, being the ground-dwellers that they are, do not have any need for traditional hearing.

That is not to say that snakes cannot detect sound. The method by which snakes ‘hear’ is referred to as bone conductive hearing. They pick up even the subtlest of vibrations through their jaw bones, and these vibrations are transmitted to a pair of cochlear, or snail-shaped, structures in the snake’s head. Humans have these same structures in their own ears. When vibrations hit these structures, they are transmitted along nerves into the brain where they are interpreted as sound. In effect, a snake’s jaw serves as its ‘ears’.

Compared to a human’s ears, however, a snake’s auditory structures are many times more sensitive. They are able to detect sounds ranging from an elephant charging to a tiny mouse creeping along the grass. They can even detect the hissing of other snakes, which may play an important role in the mating habits of some species. This incredible level of sensitivity makes them swift and effective hunters, which is part of why they have been around for more than 112 million years.

There is no denying that snakes are fascinating creatures, but many people are often confused as to what group of animals they fit into. With their complete lack of limbs and extremities, bizarre ways of eating, worm-like method of locomotion, odd smelling habits and unblinking gaze, they seem more like an unknown alien creature than any Earth-dweller that has already been identified and cataloged. Therefore, it isn’t really surprising that people peg them as being either reptiles, amphibians or mammals, but two of these assumptions are incorrect.

Mammals are fur-bearing animals that typically give live birth. Like with many things, there are exceptions. The platypus, which resembles a cross between a duck and a beaver, lays eggs and animals like the naked mole rat have no fur. However, all mammals possess mammary glands that produce milk to feed their young, hence their name.

If you think that a snake is an amphibian, you’re getting closer. Amphibians are cold-blooded, egg-laying animals that possess smooth skin and most often live in or near water sources. At the very least, they require a moist environment in order to survive. Their young usually go through an aquatic larval stage and don’t even remotely resemble their parents during this time. This group includes frogs, toads, salamanders and newts.

Snakes are reptiles. This group of animals is very similar to amphibians, except that they lay eggs on dry land and most of them possess scales. They live in wide variety of habitats ranging from swampy marshes to scorching deserts. They’re cold-blooded and rely on the sun to provide them with heat and energy. Their young are completely formed when they’re born and look like perfect miniatures of their parents. Other familiar animals in this group include turtles, tortoises, lizards and several species of legless lizards that resemble snakes.

Some animals eat only other animals (carnivores), some eat only plants (herbivores), and some will eat a combination of plants and animals (omnivores).

What about snakes? Are snakes carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores?

The fact is that all varieties of snakes are strictly carnivores, meaning that they feed only on other animals such as rodents, lizards, and even the eggs of other reptiles.

While you might think that a snake can only eat creatures much smaller than itself, it could surprise you to learn that some snakes can actually eat prey with a diameter larger than the snake’s own head! This is possible because, when feeding, snakes are able to unhinge their jaw, allowing them to open their mouths extremely wide.

Every species of snake is able to swim. In fact, using the serpentine motion and the capacity of their lungs they can often even cover great distances with fast results. Some snakes such as the Eastern Diamondback have even been known to swim for 30 miles or so. These creatures may lack a pair of arms and legs to paddle or kick their way through the water, but they can swim efficiently all the same. (Although it should be noted that some snakes do not particularly like water.) Some snakes prefer dry land, while others spend most of their lives in the sea.

In order for a snake to swim it curves its body in a certain way once it is in the water and turns left and then right. They will repeat this motion again and again making the shape of an “S” as they make their way through the water. Each time a snake turns while swimming it pushes the water behind them with its body and then pushes itself forward.

There is an old myth that snakes are blind or go blind during the dog days of August. The truth is that like most reptiles, snakes must shed their skin in order to grow. To help the old skin slide off, a grayish-white lubricant is secreted underneath the old skin. This liquid is visible under the clear scale that protects the eye, often making it look clouded over or milky. This is caused from the separation of the outer layer of the epidermis from the anterior part of the outer coat of the eyeballs. This does in fact impair the snake’s vision in some ways, although snakes are not known to shed any more in August than in any other summer month, shedding blindness is the probable origin of this myth.

Furthermore, by nature snakes are not blind. They do have functional eyes but their vision can and does vary greatly depending on the species. Interestingly enough, even if a snake’s eyes are injured or become blinded later on in life somehow, a snake will not seem to be handicapped. They are still able to easily find their prey and catch them with the same precision with which they normally would, even when they have fully functional eyes. This is due to their forked tongue and keen sense of smell. Their tongue being forked enables the snake to use each of the forked parts to smell the prey individually. This is why snakes are often seen throwing their tongues out of their mouths, it is helping them to find the smell of their prey. A snake may shed its skin several times in the course of a year, and grow fastest in warm weather.

Snakes are able to maneuver their bodies in many different ways. Most snakes depending on their size and the size of the stairs are able to climb up and down them easily as they are very agile creatures that pull themselves up using the muscles in their bodies. Snakes cannot climb ladders but have sometimes been known to slither up walls and make their way into attics to feast upon rodents. Snakes will have no difficulty getting up or down a flight of stairs.

Although not every species of snakes is known to lay eggs, about 70% of snakes do, while the rest give live birth. Snakes that give birth to their young without laying eggs are called viviparous. These snakes live in colder climates where eggs would not incubate as well.

Whereas snakes that do lay eggs fall into two categories: oviparous and ovoviviparous. The eggs a snake lays has a hard shell that protects it and they are usually found places under leaf litter or loose soil, or sometimes even within a burrow or hollow stump.

Oviparous snakes lay eggs that hatch outside of the mother after they develop. In most cases the embryos develop mainly outside of the mother but are usually not placed outside of the snake’s body until the mother travels a great distance to find a good hiding place for its eggs. Sometimes these snakes will even share space with the eggs of many other females, and when they are ready to hatch the young snakes poke their way out of the eggs much like a baby bird. Some snakes are very protective of their eggs where others are not as defensive. It depends on the species. Pythons are known to coil themselves around the eggs to keep them warm and help them hatch by gently squeezing her body. After young snakes or born or hatched, their parents do not take care of them, they are left to fend for themselves.

Ovoviviparous snakes hold their eggs inside of their stomachs until the eggs are ready to hatch. This helps protect them fully from predators. It is harder or a mother to swallow food or protect herself during this process however. This is probably why all egg laying snakes have not evolved to be ovoviviparous.

Generally for the most part, a female snake lays her eggs after she mates with a male snake. One exception to this rule is the flowerpot snake which are all female and can reproduce without a male snake. Female snakes are equipped with a vent which leads to her cloaca, which is the area that semen and eggs are passed through. The amount of time that it takes for an egg to hatch, for egg laying snakes varies greatly depending on the breed.

The number of eggs that a snake lays can vary as well. Some snakes have been known to lay as many as 100 eggs at a time. Baby snakes typically stay in their eggs for two to three months or sometimes shorter in breeds that remain inside of ther mother’s body for a period of time. These snakes then break out using a special “egg tooth” Although snakes are known to hatch from their eggs much in the same way as birds do, their eggs differ in that a snake’s egg is soft and leathery instead of hard and rigid.

Three pit vipers such as the copperhead, cottonmouth, and rattlesnake give birth to live babies that are on their own immediately after birth and born with fangs and venom to help defend themselves against predators. Whereas snakes such as the texas coral lays three to four eggs in the spring and then hatch in June-September.

Believe it or not, contrary to what many believe, snakes are in fact vertebrates. In fact, it is the snake’s many bones that make them so flexible. Snakes are classified in the Subphylum Vertebrata and their backbone is made up of many vertebrae attached to ribs. While we humans have approximately 33 vertebrate and 24 ribs, a snake has between 200 to 400 vertebrae with many ribs attached. All of these bones and ribs are what make them so flexible and able to slither around to and fro so easily.

In addition to this, a snake’s bones and muscles are very strong, which make for great protection to its internal organs. The throat of a snake takes up the front one-third of its body and leads to a very long stomach, which like its throat is able to stretch to the size of whatever prey the snake is feasting upon.

Snakes are also equipped with two long lungs, a long liver, kidneys, and intestines. The last quarter of a snake’s body has a small anal opening that is covered by a scale known as the anal plate. The rest of the snake’s tail is made up of bone.