Diversity of Snakes

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Anatomy

  • in most snakes there is less tail and more body, but species such as vine snakes have much longer tails
  • snake skulls are adapted to engulf prey, and constrictors have recurved teeth
  • can differentiate between venomous and non-venomous species using skull shape, type of teeth, and teeth position
  • snakes possess a pit organ for receiving infrared radiation, which enables them to generate a 'thermal image' of predators and prey
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Evolution

  • part of Toxicofera
  • appeared and diverged around 160-170 million years ago
    • origins unclear as snake skeletons are very fragile
  • extensive diversification during the mid to late Cretaceous 
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Venom

  • venomous snakes deliver toxins through fangs
    • elapines have short front fangs, and vipers have long, hinged, and hollow fangs
  • neurotoxins disrupt neurotransmitters
  • haemotoxins disrupt blood coagulation
  • cytotoxins cause cell necrosis 
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Diversity: Alethinophidia Part 1

  • Acrochoridae: the wart snakes (monogeneric)
  • Aniliidae: the false coral snake (monospecific)
  • Anomochilidae: the dwarf pipe snakes (monogeneric)
  • Atractaspididae: the burrowing asps 
  • Boidae: the boas
  • Bolyeridae: the splitjaw snakes (monospecific)
  • Colubridae: the colubrid snakes
  • Cyclocoridae: the cyclocorids
  • Cylindrophiidae: the Asian pipe snakes (monogeneric)
  • Elapidae: the cobras, kraits, taipans, mambas, and coral snakes
  • Homalopsidae: the Indo-Australian water snakes/mudsnakes/bockadams
  • Lamprophiidae: the lamprophiids 
  • Loxocemidae: the Mexican burrowing snake (monospecific)
  • Micrelapidae: the two-headed snakes (monogeneric)
  • Pareidae: the snail-eating snakes
  • Prosymnidae: the shovel-snout snakes (monogeneric)
  • Psammophiidae: a family of elapoid snakes formerly identified as a subfamily of Lamprophiidae
  • Pseudaspidae: mock vipers/mole snakes
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Diversity: Alethinophidia Part 2

  • Pseudoxyrhophiidae: a family of elapoid snakes, found mostly in Madagascar, that were formerly placed as a subfamily of the Lamprophiidae
  • Pythonidae: pythons 
  • Tropidophiide: the dwarf boas/thunder snakes/woodsnakes
  • Uropeltidae: the shield-tailed snakes
  • Viperidae: the vipers
  • Xenodermidae: a family of small or moderately sized nocturnal snakes, which inhabit moist forest habitats of Asia (monospecific)
  • Xenopeltidae: the sunbeam snakes (monogeneric)
  • Xenophidiidae: the spinejaw snakes (monogeneric)
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Diversity: Scolecophidia

  • Anomalepidae: the primitive blind snakes
  • Gerrhopilidae: the Indo-Malayan blind snakes
  • Leptotyphlopidae: the slender blindsnakes/threadsnakes
  • Typhlopidae: the blindsnakes
  • Xenotyphlopidae: the Malagasy blind snakes (monogeneric) 
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