Snakes (+ tuatara)

What suborder are the snakes in?

Serpentes

What does the cytotoxic venom do?

Destroys cells and tissues

What does the Hemotoxic venom do?

• Affects blood

• Clots or thins blood

What does neurotoxic venom do?

Affects the nervous system

What is the Aglyphous dentition?

no enlarged fangs for envenomation

What is the Opisthoglyphous dentition?

• “rear fanged”

• most common

• enlarged and/or grooved teeth

What is the Proteroglyphous dentition?

• Relatively small, hollow front fangs

• true venom glands

What is the Solenoglyphous dentition?

• Large, hollow frontal fangs that fold against roof of mouth

• True venom glands

What family are boas and anacondas in?

Family Boidea

What family are pythons in?

Family Pythonidae

What family are colubrids in?

Family Colubridae

What family are cobras, mambas, kraits, sea snakes, and coral snakes in?

Family Elapidae

What family are vipers and pit vipers in?

Family Viperidae

What order is the family Sphenodontidae?

Order Rhynchocephalia

What family are the tuatara in?

Family Sphenodontidae

What snakes does SCZ have in the family Boidea?

Rubber boas (my beloved)

What snakes does SCZ have in the family Pythonidae?

Ball python

What snakes does SCZ have in the family Colubridae?

African twig snake

What snakes does SCZ have in the family Elapidae?

king cobra

What snakes does SCZ have in the family Viperidae?

Prairie rattlesnake

What snakes kill with constriction?

• Boas and anacondas (Family Boadea)

• Pythons (Family Pythonidae)

What snake have opistoglyphous dentition?

The colubrids (Family Colubridae)

What snakes have the Proteroglyphous dentition?

Corbas, mambas, kraits, sea snakes, and coral snakes (Family Elapidae)

What snakes have the Solenoglyphous dentition?

Vipers and pit vipers (Family Viperidae)

What characteristics does the Family Boidea have?

• New world, Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Pacific Islands

• Temperate to tropical

• worlds heaviest snakes (17ft, 215lbs)

• vestigial pelvic girdle - spurs

• heat - sensing pits

• predominantly live birth

• very common in zoos

What characteristics does the Family Pythonidae have?

• Africa, Asia, Australia

• Tropical

• worlds longest snakes (22ft, 150lbs)

• vestigial pelvic girdle - spurs

• heat sensing pits

• egg layers

• very common in zoos

What characteristics does the Family Colubridae have?

• worldwide

• largest family of snakes - 2/3 of all snake species

• extremely diverse in appearance, habitat, and ecology

• several mildly venomous - a few dangerously so

• very common in zoos

What characteristics does the Family Elapidae have?

• worldwide, open oceans

• most dangerously venomous

• several marine

• some cobras “spit”

• uncommon in zoos

What characteristics does the Family Viperidae have?

• Worldwide

• tropical and temperate

• majority dangerously venomous

• pit vipers with single heat-sensing pit

• very common in zoos

What characteristics does the Family Sphenodontidae have?

• small islands around New Zealand

• critically endangered

• adapted to cool/cold temperatures

• very long lived

• Elongated, lizard like

• lay eggs